dotHack AU: Dark Duality
by StrawberryPika
Summary: G.U. character based. Alternate Universe. Haseo is a normal teenager, but the appearance of a being that claims to be his other half flips his world around. 'Skeith' protects Haseo at all costs... even the murder of innocent people. Dark AU.
1. Prologue: Red White

Authors Notes: _Well, this is a surprise._

_Welcome to .hack//AU dark duality. It's an alternate universe fanfiction... but I think you figured that much out by now! Umm, there's not much I want to say before the prologue. Most of the introduction is in the beginning of the first chapter, so..._

_This prologue isn't really meant to make sense, so if your head is hurting after it's done then I've done my job right, probably. It's meant to confuse you and be somewhat dream-like... but the rest of the fanfic isn't as bizarre as this, so bear with me, okay?_

_The truth is that this story has been in the making since the first game came out in English. It wasn't posted because I have a horrible habit of starting fanfiction and not finishing them. However... up to chapter five is written now (though not edited), so I have hope for this one. Thanks for taking a peak, I really hope you enjoy!_

_Before I get into this, there's a concept I'd like to explain that I'll get into a little further before the first chapter starts. In this fanfiction the main characters (Haseo, Kuhn, Atoli, etc.) are the normal human players. Or the equivalent of them, as there is no R:2 or any online game like that in this fanfiction. They are normal people; people who attend school and jobs and have a normal life. Skeith, Magus, Innis... they look exactly like the player characters. So Skeith looks like silver-haired Haseo, while 'Haseo' looks like a normal person with heavy similarities to Skeith (obviously no silver hair, though). I hope this'll make a little more sense after the first chapter..._

_Now, without further ado, I think all I can do is start up._

_Rated teen for mostly the stuff later on; blood, violence, some dark themes, and some adult themes - but nothing explicit. You've been warned. I'm also only going to do the disclaimer in this chapter:_

_All .hack//G.U. Characters are ideas are not owned by me; CC2, Namco-Bandai, and the original writers and creators are the owners. Characters from the original .hack// series are owned by Bandai, CC2 and original creators and owners. Any music that I may mention is the musical artist's; I in no way have written any of the music that inspired this fanfiction. I guess the only thing that's original is the idea, as this is AU._

_Thanks again!_

* * *

The world expanded to me in an immensity of white.

A room of white that made no distinguishing features about itself. There were no lines to the walls, no shadows to the floor, no distance to the ceiling. The only things I knew was that I was there. I existed there, at that very moment, living and thinking and gaping at a scene that should not have been real. Well, thinking and gaping was for sure; but as for 'living', nothing made sense anymore. It felt as if I didn't understand what life was... like I didn't understand the difference between life and death, and what makes you breathing compared to a simple imitation of humanity.

No, because there were no _distinguishable features_...

And there he was, in the midst of it all, standing as if he '_existed_'.

His eyes drove into mine; or maybe he was actually a physical part of me. I couldn't tell. He just smiled and stared, head cocked to one side with the curiosity of a child. Red paint coloured his body; small flecks tainting his face, while as you looked further down the discolouration became significantly worse. It was that naive curiosity and that overpowering aura that extended from him that made me suddenly feel overwhelmed with fear, confusion, and utter disgust.

He was '_me_'. I was '_him_'. He was standing in my place, and I in his. And yet we were in our own places; how could we be in both? How could we be both?

The sudden realization of the situation struck me hard. The world around me distorted and I saw the full picture. Others were around us, but all below us. On the ground. Unmoving. And he just stood there, acting younger than he actually was, unchanging. I felt dizzy, and quickly covered my mouth. A wave of absolute horror washed over me and I felt as if I were going to be sick that second. Within a moment, I glanced up.

Just as I had expected now he was doubled over, hand over his own mouth. But he continued to stare at me, cold eyes now piercing down into me further than anyone had ever gone. I felt responsible for the way this world displayed itself now and the position the others around us were in.

He opened his mouth to speak.

"You."

"Are."

"Me."

No. You are _me_. You would have never existed if I didn't. You've tainted my soul; don't you understand what you've done? You're a monster. A pure monster.

He continued, playing his cute game. To him it was a game; life was not significant. What did it matter to him? A flesh body was only a bonus.

"I've."

"Found."

_... h e y ..._

"You."

The words were strong.

No, you haven't. I won't have anything to do with you. I won't have anything to do with you at all!

_... h e y ... h e y , y o u l o o k ..._

He smiled. A funny voice nagged at the back of my mind, silent and insignificant.

"You're."

"Looking."

"For."

You don't know anything about me. Don't talk to me as if you know my heart.

_... c a n y o u h e ar m e ? ... h e y , a ns wer me ..._

"Some... thing."

"Imp..orta...nt."

That's right. Disappear. Disappear forever. I don't want to see you again.

Suddenly, he was clutching at his stomach, and he sunk lower to the ground towards the other people. I felt a feeling of pity and wanted to rush to help him. But I knew better than that; to save a monster was to kill others, wasn't it?

_... h ey! W hat' s wrong? H..._

The voice from the back of my mind grew stronger. The white walls began to waver as if the boundaries of time themselves were breaking apart.

I don't understand. What are you? You're a... monster... aren't you?

He looked up to me with sorrowful eyes; eyes unattainable by a creature as terrible as he was. Maybe he wasn't...

I don't... understand...

_... t here's s ometh ing wrong! ... yes, p lease do! ..._

There was a sharp pain in my head. I threw my hands up and clutched to my face desperately to relieve myself as normal human instinct commanded me to. A cold wave washed over my face; as if it had just been dipped in water... or that my hands were covered in liquid. With the idea dawning on me, I pulled my hands back low enough to get a sensible image of them.

Red. Stained red, painted red, red the same that dotted '_he_' in front of me. And when I looked back up, '_he_' was not a 'he' and '_he_' was a '_she_' and the world became thrown off it's axis and plunged into the ocean. My senses exploded everything wavered; the images I saw melted together and formed mixed waves of nothing. For some reason, it was horrific.

And I screamed, as loud as I could.

"Ha...o!"

Everything shot into a realistic scene, but I no longer knew what was real and what was not. The world slowed. I wavered in my seat and suddenly plunged sideways without any attempt to save myself. I fell from my chair and hit the desk beside my own with my head, tumbling down to the ground and striking hard against the solid floor. White, fluorescent lights crashed against my sight and made the aching pain of the emerging headache extremely worse. Someone rushed to my side, quickly picking me up, but nothing made sense anymore. That world blurred away too, just like the white world, and I didn't understand. I didn't understand anything anymore. What was real and what was a hallucination made no sense.

I thought, _this was the real world maybe_, for the mere few seconds that I could stay conscious. That was all I could pray. And the constant call of my name tried to break through to my heart in the darkness that overcame me, but I couldn't make sense of the voice.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Lights flashed everywhere. Computer screens lit the dark room, giving it an eerie blue glow. They flickered and danced as new screens and windows opened, buzzing with an extreme sense of urgency. The entire front wall was composed of screen after screen, all linked to smaller computer monitors that were on desks on the floor.The floor was scattered with chairs and desks with keyboards; with people all dressed in the same clothing, busily typing away. All of their expressions replicated serious statues of war heroes, but more of the kind that were in the midst of battle; for that was what they were doing – fighting a battle. The only sounds in the room were the clicks and chimes of the computers, the blurred striking keys, and the shouts of orders from one to another. A few people sat in the front, obviously the most important. In the back stood a man overlooking it all – a man who appeared to be as young as twenty, while his subordinates were all much older. He bit his bottom lip when he wasn't shouting things for the others to do.

This went on, repetitively. Suddenly, there was a small pause. Everyone's work slowed. The man sighed with relief. "Thank goodness," rung from his mouth, as he pulled a hand up and brushed his rather thin hair. Another man, who looked to be a bald twin of him, glanced over for a moment.

"Have you won?" He asked, his voice serious and hoarse, but it almost seemed as if it was his real voice.

"It seems so, for the moment," the man responded, his own voice very similar to the one of that beside him.

"I see," The twin said simply, turning away to watch the computer screens again. With a quick gesture, the man gave him a fast, sharp look, taking in a deep breath.

"What's... wrong?"

"Can't you feel it?"

The first man was startled. Slowly, without saying anything else, the bald twin stepped down from his place. He walked coolly down the only break of computers there was in the center of the room, which formed a pathway. He took each step carefully. The first man jolted from his own spot, moving one foot. A woman from the front seats turned her head back to watch the man coming towards her. He stepped even beyond her and went directly in front of the row of screens, stopping in their basking glow. Each feature of his body was trailed by the blue light of heaven; 'heaven' to his standards. He pressed a hand against the screen. Suddenly, the woman shot up.

"Those are our best LCD screens! They're very delicate, so don't you da--"

"Stop."

The first man spoke.

"What's wrong?" He asked again. The woman stopped mid-sentence and scowled towards the twin. He did not move; his hand didn't lift from the screen.

"You haven't won at all..." He said quietly.

"What was that?!" The woman snapped, obviously on the end of her strings for this twin and favoring the other.

"... breaking."

"What?" Both the man and woman spoke at the same time.

"She's... breaking."

Suddenly, on one of the screens near the top of the rows, a red window popped up, flashing.

The man instantly ran down the isle, pushing himself to the same side as the twin and gave a close-up examination of the red window. Suddenly it appeared on another screen. The twin still did not budge. The woman shot down to her own keyboard, typing in a flurry of things that were ridiculous to someone who knew nothing of computer programing. Orders were shouted again by the young man. The others in the room went down to their own keyboards and the room was filled with an air as if they were fighting a loosing battle. The red windows did not stop there; they repetitively appeared over and over again, each on a new screen, taking over heaven's glow. The man screamed in desperation. Urgency was more than there.

And within the flash of a second, all of the screens became white and red, taken over by the solid colours and destroying any hope of victory.

Everyone stopped. Their eyes glued to the screens and watched them. The man was the same, his jaw dropped to receive the open, deathly silent air. The woman's hands dropped to her lap, lifeless, as her pupils scanned everything. It was nothing but silence and the unchanging glow of the new colours. Suddenly, one of the workers spoke, as if automatically.

"A white background... and a repetitive word pattern..."

Another spoke.

"A... I... D... A... A... I... D... A ...a-i-d-a-a-i-d-a-a-i-d-a..."

"Everywhere..."

"All of the screens-"

"The work-"

"Gone-"

Chatter filled the room. The woman looked to the man. He was silent. The twin's face was turned towards the man, half of his body accented in the horrific colours – the other half in darkness. His eyes were cool, but they watched the first as if he knew exactly what he was thinking, what he was feeling...

"... what is this...?"

There was a thump behind them.

Turning their heads, the woman and the man looked behind themselves, just as every other worker did. From the back row of computers one chair was now vacant, it's user lying on the floor, arms spread in a pathetic position, hair tangling against the carpet, and eyes closed.

* * *

In another world, a girl was tangled in a painful position. She was doubled over, clutching at her chest and screaming unheard screams of pain. Her hair fell against her back and shoulders and danced all around her in the broken world; a world of dark colours and shattered things; a world where nothing was actually in one piece, and where nothing was in anything but a brown, black or gray. Such a beautiful girl did not fit in a world such as this but there she was, begging for a mercy that would not come. A book lay in front of her, pages open and flipping themselves. The corners were torn and the colours were wreaked and the writing was hardly understandable, but it was there. She continued this for a minute or so, before she was left on the ground panting for an air that was barely there. Her eyes were sad and almost lifeless; there was only the hint of an undying spark of wonder, awe, and beauty. Even in her pain she had an unwavering aura of something unattainable by anyone; something perfect.

Slowly, she lifted her head, looking up at the sky with those sad eyes that were broken by something she could not fight on her own. Her soft hand reached out and grabbed the book in front of her, pulling it close and clutching it to her burning chest. She could not cry. Still gasping for oxygen, she slowly forced herself up into a sitting position where her panting was only pathetic and very painful instead of desperate. She watched the starless sky above her, the children she studied in her heart, the world she longed to protect, and the people she knew that she had hurt. Because she couldn't hold on, because she couldn't keep things together... it was falling apart. Because of one person who's intentions were pure the world was falling apart and an unmistakable darkness was formed.

Wind caught her hair, and the white goddess against the dark world muttered words not audible to anyone as she clutched her possession tighter, praying for release.


	2. Chap1: Awakening The Deep Night

Authors Notes: _Well, here it is; the first chapter of AUDD; AUDD standing for Alternate Universe Dark Duality. I hope to be able to make it even a little dark, because... well, this story is not intended to really be 'happy'. I'm not used to writing dark things, so please don't mind me._

_I'm hoping that you can pick this up from the fanfiction, but I'll tell you guys anyway. I mentioned it in the beginning of the prolouge, too. It's in first person from Haseo's point of view, but 'Haseo' is actually sort of like the player version of him – not the in-game character. He's just a normal guy. There is no The World in here, though. No online games. I'll let you figure out everything else yourself._

_Wow... looking back on this, it's actually quite a weird concept. I hope you guys are going to be okay with it. Sorry!_

_There are no set 'couplings' for this story, actually. I'd like to leave the option open for whatever, so there will be scenes of Haseo and just about everyone. But nothing set in stone or permanent._

* * *

_... h..._

_... hey..._

_... it's time to wake up now, isn't it? You've been sleeping so long..._

_Come on... get up..._

_Come on, **Haseo**_...

That nagging voice repetitively yet gently crashed against the edges of my mind, like the soft waves of the returning shore. My mind stirred to the voice; a voice I was all too familiar with. Soon, the recognizable sounds and images of the world began to return to me. My eyes slowly shifted open and were greeted by a white ceiling, white sheets, white pillows, and an odd, brown-haired friend that stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a greeting that was more than welcome.

I stirred in the bed, twisting under the blankets and wrenching a hand from beneath to place on my forehead. The colours beat against me, but I could tell I was slowly adjusting. His soft laughter came from beside me.

"Tired, sleepy head?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. His body was sharpening itself away from blur in my eyes.

"What... time is it...?" I managed to force out, closing my eyes once more and turning the world back to black.

"6:30." The response came, the same voice from before. "School's long over. You've been out since third period."

"'Out'...?" I tried to piece together what had happened earlier, but my mind was a blur. All I could remember was something about white and red... something that was white and red, perhaps. I wasn't even quite sure what had happened since second period. My memory was foggy.

"You were mumbling in class," he started. I could hear him shift in his seat, obviously worried. "And then you suddenly looked like you were going to be sick. I asked you if you were okay, but you didn't respond. Then you were falling out of your seat. You gave us all quite the scare!"

_... h e y ... h e y , y o u l o o k ..._

_... c a n y o u h e ar m e ? ... h e y , a ns wer me ..._

_... h ey! W hat' s wrong? H..._

Suddenly, those words came back to me. The blurry, tiny voice in the back of my mind from before - even though I could barely remember what 'before' was. It had been him all along, hadn't it? I opened by eyes again and turned to face him, studying him. My vision had returned, and the sick feeling I got from looking at colours was gone. He was rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously. I just smiled and rested deeper into the pillow of the hospital bed. I wasn't much for friends, but I was quite attached to those I had – in fact, the whole three of them. It just so happened that he and I were inseparable, no matter how much I picked at him.

"... have you waited this whole time for me to wake up... Kuhn?"

"Well, for most of it," he responded, turning his head for a moment to look at the closed door of the hospital room that we sat in. "There was a point in time where I left for a minute because there was this female nurse that needed a hand carrying some things..."

I rolled once again onto my back and smacked my forehead with my hand.

"I should have known...! You're just a total idiot, aren't you...?"

Kuhn laughed. "You look terrible," he stated, trying to change the conversation.

"Not bas bad as you."

"Don't be so mean!" His tone was jokingly upset, as mine was jokingly cruel. "Here..."

Kuhn lifted himself from his seat and flopped down beside my bed, quickly picking me up and resting one of my arms around his shoulders. I got the hint – I lifted myself up as well, and he helped me over the room. It was a lot harder walking than I remembered. We stopped at the other side in front of a streakless mirror that replicated ourselves back. In that shimmering image, I saw the both of us.

I stood at the front. My face looked terrible; I looked worn and exhausted and sick, but for obvious reasons. It was something that would go away with short time. Brown eyes that almost seemed maroon watched back; they were often called red by other people. Black strands of hair fell against my cheeks, reaching down just above my shoulder. One of my bangs was brushed behind my ear, the other beside my eye. A white hospital gown dressed me, but in the corner of my eyes I could see the remnants of a wrinkled, dark red and beige, private high school uniform.

Kuhn was behind me, still holding me up. His grin never faded; it was something just as present as any other permanent part of his body. His long, medium brown hair was pulled back into a low pony tail, tied off with a black leather string. Ocean blue eyes studied the mirror just as I did, but without the confused expression I held from being still slightly dizzy. He was still in that red and beige uniform from the hours before. His face and body were the kind of things girls – and, well, I guess some guys might too – screamed over; the proof was in the fact that he had a strongly growing fan club. It was funny how he could never get a girlfriend even with all of them around. Sure, he had dates, but never a permanent girlfriend. I guess the girls had good taste.

I smiled weakly at the current mess that was myself. Kuhn laughed, and to get back at him, I turned as much as I could without collapsing and screwed his hair up with my hands. That way I wasn't the only one who was a wreak. He protested in a friendly manner and then repeated the gesture back to me, and this play of friendship continued on for a couple minutes.

Like a never-ending dream. A world I never wanted to leave... this tiny room, with just him. A tiny room within a distasteful and morbid place that we liked to call 'earth'.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. ... No, I don't really know, but the doctors think it was from stress. With exams coming up... Yes, I will be attending school tomorrow. ... I'll be fine. Kuhn is with me. ... Mmn, probably. But he doesn't mind. ... Don't worry so much. I'm okay. ... Yes, it's fine. ... Don't leave work just for me. I can take care of myself. ... Okay, I'll look for it. ... Okay. Mm. Alright. ... Thanks. Don't work too hard." Click.

I hung up the phone. The receptionist at the front counter of the hospital smiled at me.

"You got a hold of your parents?"

"Yeah," I responded, standing as straight as I could. I had just recently remembered how to balance.

"Will they be picking you up?"

"No, I'm going to be walking home. But Kuhn will be with me."

She nodded. Everything was signed and done. The doctors would talk to my parents tomorrow when they were off of work about what had happened today, but they didn't expect anything serious. I had already received the whole 'don't work so hard' speech from them and I was sure to get it from my mother and father later as well. I turned from the counter, dressed back in that private school uniform, and headed for the door.

Everything that I knew about was all second hand information. I couldn't remember at all. Apparently, during second period during school, I had become very distant and I didn't look very well. When third period came, about half way through, I began mumbling things that didn't make sense. That's when Kuhn started to worry, and he tried to ask me if something was wrong. After no response for a minute, he tried again, but louder, and by this point the teacher and other students had noticed. It wasn't long after that I apparently fell sideways out of my seat and collapsed onto the floor, not waking up until that moment in the hospital with Kuhn. The cause was unknown. There was nothing physically wrong with my body, which was proven thanks to tests and checkups. I had stayed in the hospital until late in the evening; dark was coming on now. With my parents working late tonight I was going back to an empty house, but it was alright. They were more than supportive and I maintained quite a good relationship with them. I understood that sometimes they just couldn't be there.

I stepped outside of the hospital and noticed Kuhn waiting at the side of the road. His head instantly shot in my direction when the door opened. He ran over, and we both greeted each other silently without any actual display.

"So?" He asked, turning his head slightly to the side.

"Yeah, they said they'll be here in ten minutes," I lied through my teeth, but my expression remained neutral. He sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness... my dad's going to really get angry if I make him wait any longer. Then I guess I'll be going." He told me, turning on his feet. "See you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll be there," I nodded.

"Good! I hope you feel better tomorrow!" He ran off, heading towards the hospital parking lot. His father had been there for a half hour and Kuhn had made him wait to make sure that I had a way home. I wasn't going to inconvenience either one of them anymore. I turned to head my own way, ready for the long walk home.

I walked alone and silent against the people that dotted the streets. My expression was a thin line for a mouth and only partially opened eyes. I couldn't look wide at the world anymore; unfortunately, a lot of things were disgusting. Once upon a time, the world had been a beautiful place. But now it was filled with murderers and rapists, thieves and cheaters. Litter scattered the dark alleys. The cars and trees were lit by a very dim orange glow; the bare pieces of what was left of the sunset before the dark settled in. The streets were dirty, but the people acted as if everything was alright... as if everything was perfect. I hated walking alone, especially through the city, because it gave me time to dwell on these thoughts. Thoughts like these weren't so pretty. I tried to focus on my feet; one in front of the other and then over again, but the chatter from conversations filled my ears. A child cried somewhere near. Was this really our beautiful world? It was the world I was born in, at least; it was what had become of a once pure place. Now there probably wasn't even a single pure being left. My thoughts were grim. What else was one to think? That was really the way things were.

Sometimes one would wish that it would all disappear. But that was terrible, wasn't it? Humanity still had a chance somewhere. To wish for it all to disappear was far too much.

In the distance, there was the cry of a girl.

I was unsure if I should have gotten involved, so at first I just kept walking. I turned into the alley that led to the shorter path to my home. Figures moved in the darkness near the end. I stopped at the front of the tunnel, gazing down into the abyss that I couldn't see into. The cry of the same girl came, but there was more than one figure.

Suddenly, it hit me as to what was going on. Startled, I darted inside on first instinct. Running blind into the darkness. I called out, "Hey, are you alright?!", and in response there was a "Please! Help me!" and another cry. I pushed my way through the lightless world. The scene burst into view. Three older men were robbing a younger girl, one probably only a year younger than me. Bright blond hair fell against her cheeks, short and a mess as of now. Her blue eyes looked distressed and tears ran from them. Her attempts to fight them off were obviously in vain.

I dashed without thought. I rammed into the closest man to her and knocked him to the ground. He was caught off guard and she screamed in shock, running into the wall behind her. Suddenly a fight broke out between me and him, and the other two stood in the back and stared, obviously not interested in a loosing battle against a teenager. It was a flurry of fists and kicks and struggling. For minutes we continued, until he and I were both beat up and exhausted. Using the last of my energy I slammed him in the face once more and pushed up off the ground, sprinting down further into the alley. The man screamed after me, but his friends stopped him; the girl was more important to them. There was a moment of silence as I ran further and further away, until a sudden scream broke out again – this one of a male voice. They had discovered by now that the girl was gone. She had escaped while we fought and the other two were distracted, probably to a place where we would never see each other again. As long as she escaped, that was what mattered.

Suddenly, I was far away from that area and beyond the alley. Darkness had set in; night had come. There was no more orange glow painting anything into light anymore.

This world...

I walked, eyes focused on the ground. I cussed in my mind about bruises and cuts I now had. Maybe I shouldn't have helped her in the first place, but my sense of justice wouldn't have let it be that way.

This world... it's _so_--

My pace slowed as I was out of breath. Not only was my gaze focused, but it was now trapped in a glare; a heart-piercing glare that wouldn't let up. Feelings tumbled over in my mind; dark feelings and thoughts. My mouth remained closed; I said nothing. There was no one else around to hear me or see me anyway.

_-so_... _disgusting._

Everything-

I couldn't imagine that people had become so heartless as to choose targets that were so much weaker than they were. I couldn't imagine why people would steal or murder or do anything like that. I just didn't understand at all. I didn't understand people at all.

Everything should-

_--disappear._

_Just disappear_.

"Hey, asshole!!" The voice from the man I attacked came from behind me. I knew he was chasing me now.

_Disappear._

_Disappear and never return._

_Disappear, disappear, disappear..._

Suddenly, my head pounded, and a loud ringing noise – like the sound of a tuning fork – tore through my mind.

I stumbled. The world spun for a moment, and before I knew it I was on the ground, holding my chest and screaming out. It wasn't the men – they weren't even close to me yet – but it was something else. Something different. Something that felt like it had happened before...

I covered my mouth, feeling like I was going to be sick. I was hunched over, on my knees and balancing on one hand, eyes slammed closed. Everything pounded. I was being beat by an imaginary force; an imaginary wave of power or something of the sort. On top of that, I felt a sharp pain in my side, and I was knocked to the ground. They had caught up with me and were using this moment as time for a cheap shot. I barely opened my eyes to catch sight of them, but I couldn't hear what they were saying as they loomed over me. My ears were being attacked by that ring over and over again, and with each passing second it became louder and more consistent. As I watched the blurry scene, the men suddenly caught sight of something behind me and they lost interest in me for the moment. They began to back away slowly, but not enough to run away; their leader wouldn't allow it. Things began to slow and turn to normal. The sound wouldn't go away, but I felt like I could at least stand. And I did just that – stood and turned around, one hand now clutched to my chest and the other one hanging lifelessly by my side.

A sight I could have never imagined before filled my eyes, and I was overtaken by the strangest, most awkward feeling in the world. The sound stopped abruptly.

_**I've... found... you.**_

A figure materialized within the air. It slowly began to piece together, one bit at a time, gradually forming the body of a human out of nowhere. The figure was curled in the air, feet hovering above the ground as it's new silver mane of hair scattered and tangled within the wind that it's creation was making. With a glitter of magic, red lines and symbols lined his face and his stomach, creating patterns of tattoos. His body was naked like the body of a newborn, but in the form of an adult... no, wait. In the form of someone _my _age. In fact, he had my face and my body structure. His hair was like mine but more wild and a metallic silver shade. His eyes were closed. His expression was calm and gentle, like that of a sweet, sleeping child. A naive, sleeping boy, suddenly born from the air and magic.

It made no sense. My head still spun. My eyes were glued to his closed ones, just as those behind me were. The difference between I and they was that they were about to turn and run. I was captivated by this mysterious being, invoked with two feelings at once; the glorious feeling of birth and that a wonderful thing had just happened...

And the deadly, strong sense of absolute fear.

Slowly, it's arms let go of the knees it had clamped so close to it's abdomen and his feet fell so that they touched the ground. He stood on his toes, the rest of his body shaking slightly. More magic lined his body, surrounding bits of him like long threads of ribbon. They vanished with a flash and suddenly he was adorned with black clothes that revealed his shoulders and stomach. Belts wrapped around his chest and just below his waist; everything was black, black, black, save for the buckles and the beginning of his gloves on his wrist, which was golden. Belts danced down his arms. His arms collapsed at his sides, ever so gently swinging with the slow and barely noticeable movement of his body. It was in tune with the gentle breathing that now started from his chest. His head dropped down, facing the ground. For the first time since he had began to appear I moved; I took a slow and careful step forward, as if testing the ground. Now he and I were separated by a bare meter of distance.

"You're..." I started, breaking the silence of voices.

"...z...ero... val...ue..." A small voice, almost exact to my own, mumbled from him.

I started again. "Wh-"

His head shot up, and his mouth opened, getting his first large gasp of air. It then leveled again, rocking back and forth and facing my exact direction. Immediately, without warning, his eyes finally opened; almost catlike or demonic, they were painted with a pure red and partially slit. Both of our eyes caught each other. My mouth was open, my chin was twitching... finally overtaken by the realization of fear. He was the opposite. At first his expression was neutral. He cocked his head ever so gently to the side, watching me and studying everything about me. His eyes scanned me, taking in all that he could. They were large and innocent and betrayed the way he appeared physically.

He dropped down onto the ground on one knee. His head bent down for a moment and he held one hand over his chest somewhat daintily. He then looked back up again with an expression of almost seductive joy, and opened his mouth to speak the first complete word of his life.

"Skeith," he stated, pressing his hand closer to his own chest.

"Sk-Ske..ith?" I stumbled out. Was that his name? He only nodded, head cocked back to one side in childish amusement. He continued to watch me, and then I realized what he was waiting for; he wanted me to do the same. I tried to regain composure, since I was still startled from what had happened, and placed my hand on my own chest. "H... Haseo. _Ha-se-o_. That is... my name."

He looked up at me curiously. "Haa...say...oh?"

"Yes... but all... as one word."

"Ha..se..o. Ha-se-o. Haseo?"

"Y-yes." I felt accomplished. Maybe it was that he was already speaking when it seemed like he had just been born. He smiled again. Pushing himself up, he carefully regarded the three behind me as well. They just stumbled backwards. Curiosity burst across his face. I looked behind myself and scowled at them, obviously not liking their company.

Before I knew it, 'Skeith' was right beside me. I jumped slightly. He grabbed my shirt by the right side of my body and lifted it up, and suddenly I felt as if I was being sexually harassed or something. What else was I supposed to think?! I pushed him back and jolted backwards, pulling my shirt back down and glaring in shock.

"W-what do you think you're doing?!" I almost screamed at him. He looked rather shocked, his eyes downcast to the ground. He should have expected a reaction like that! He didn't move for a moment, his mind obviously fixed on trying to figure out why I had reacted like that... or... was that really it?

He slowly brought his gaze back up, looking at my face with a sad expression. I calmed down a bit and gave him an awkward look, smoothing my shirt down. Suddenly, a sharp pain came from my side where I brushed against and I reeled back slightly. I had forgotten that while I had been down, one of those men had kicked me and it was probably bruised. Had he noticed that before hand? Was he worried about it? I gave him a stern look as if to tell him not to do it again, but I generally calmed down. I wasn't quite understanding the whole picture here.

"Yeah," I started, sort of sharply, "I got hurt. Everyone gets hurt sometimes. I got in a fight."

He stared at me with a tilted head, wanting to know more. I sighed.

"I got in a fight with those guys over there. Happy?"

He glanced behind me again. I turned around to look as well. The men were running back to their alley, not comfortable with people popping out of the air randomly and then sexually harassing other guys. I laughed silently; they acted so tough, and yet they weren't. I began to turn around to face 'Skeith' again.

"It's not s-"

His figure bounded off the ground beside me and burst into the air behind me. I whirled around to catch sight of him flying through the air, meters off of the ground, with his silver mane of hair whipping here and there and tangling with itself. He landed on the ground quite a distance away but just immediately leapt again through the air, his body now accented with the background of the stars and the sky towards heaven. I just stared in awe. He went in the same direction as the men and disappeared into the darkness. I was left, mouth gaping, mind still trying to register what exactly just happened.

I knew there was little I could do. I could follow him; but for what purpose? Or I could just go home. If we met again then that would be that. I bit the inside of my bottom lip, feeling ashamed that I was so confused. At home there were books and the Internet and a telephone so I could attempt to solve the mystery of this. But who could I tell? No one would believe me. The only thing I could do would be personal research, and that was it. Nothing else.

Caught by ideas and thoughts, I finally turned around and started walking again with an unsettled mind.

* * *

"I'm home."

My dull voice rang through the empty, gigantic house. It echoed off the walls lined with family portraits and other odd, decorative knick knacks. Of course it was empty; mom and dad wouldn't be home for a few hours yet. The grandfather clock ticked away in the living room. I poked my head inside the room, catching the hands revealing that it was nine-thirty. I kicked off my shoes in a random fashion and threw off my school coat, hanging it up on the banister. Without thought I was quickly up the stairs and turning right into my room, closing my door behind me out of instinct.

I pushed up against the door and used it as a guide, sliding down it and hitting the floor, pulling fingers through my hair and letting out stress with a large breath of air.

I sat there for a moment, unmoving. My mind whirled like an overworked fan. I tried to recall everything that had happened today. First, I collapsed in school for no reason. Then I was in the hospital, and then I left. Then... I met the girl. And the three men. And I got in a fight and ran off. I was chased down the alley... until I collapsed again. And then _he_ appeared. Skeith. A man of silver, with pure red eyes. Sort of like... red and white. What significance did those colours have again? I couldn't remember. I held my head with my hands.

Red and white. Red and white...

I knew it from somewhere, but I couldn't come up with it. I wonder if it was important...?

It was useless. It wasn't coming to me yet; but the recollection of todays events reminded me that I _had_ been in the hospital. I pushed myself up and wandered over to the other side of my room, through the dark shadows created by the lack of light. I looked into the mirror and was only able to see due to the bare glow of the moon from the window. I stood there, exhausted, but I didn't look sick. I didn't feel sick either – what the hell was wrong with me, then? It felt almost as if I was already better from whatever fit I had in school. I had never collapsed like that before... this was a first. I had no medical history or anything. It wasn't like it was a disease I was born with... and I hadn't been feeling particularly weak as of recent, either. I was eating well. I was sleeping well, too. I didn't do drugs or drink alcohol, and I hadn't been exposed to anything bad recently... and the only friend that I had who was sick was Kuhn, but he was always sick, and it wasn't contagious or else I would've had it ten years ago. With all of that thought of, there was nothing left to come to. There was no reason why I should've been collapsing today unless it was from heat exhaustion or stress; and none of the other kids were hot so I couldn't have been heat, and I wasn't stressed even the slightest so it couldn't have been that.

So that was it. There was no answer.

I sighed, turned away from the mirror, and collapsed onto my back on my bed. I contrasted against the blue sheets and the white pillows. My eyes fixed on the ceiling for a bit, until they wandered to the window that revealed the outside world through pushed back curtains. Maybe it was nothing. But if it was nothing, then I was just stuck wondering about that Skeith – he appeared out of nowhere, and then jumped higher than any human would be able to. He seemed worried about me. I probably would never see him again unless I went looking for him or he for me, but I had no intention of actually searching unless I really had to. I really was curious as to where he went and what he was doing right now, but it was none of my business.

There was a knock.

Mom and dad were home already? I suddenly felt like they had come home just for me. Slightly angry that they didn't listen to me, I called out "Come in," anyway, but nothing happened. No one came in. The knock repeated itself. I called out again, but still nothing. With an aggravated sigh, I sat up and slid off the bed, wandered to the door and opened it.

No one was there.

I cocked an eyebrow at the empty hallway. The knocking came again. I turned back into my room, realizing that it wasn't my door, but my window. The wind rustled my curtains...

Wait, wind?

The glass... the glass pane had been closed.

The glass hit against the wall with a thud as it was opened from the outside. I let out a startled, instinctive gasp and ran across my room towards the window, the fear that someone may be breaking in suddenly taking over my mind. Before I could make it, though, a black-gloved hand grabbed onto the ledge and pushed it's way inside my room and I was forced to halt suddenly, grabbing the computer chair beside me and holding it both defensively and offensively. The tense air exploded as a head glided through, silver hair lining it's path. My tight grip on the chair slid and the seat crashed to the floor with my hands still suspended in the air. He gently hovered through the air until his feet landed on my carpet, and his eyes burst open again with that deep red shade once more. He took a gasp of air and the curtains surrounded his figure, fluttering against his body and the air within the cool wind that came through and the moonlight that coloured his body like an angel's. He raised a hand to gently toy with the strands of silver that flew about, and he turned on one foot to face me, a grin on his face with those catlike eyes that studied me. I just stood, still in shock, unable to determine the reason why he was here... what he was doing here...

"Haseo," he said simply, still basking in the blue light of heaven.

"... S-Skeith," I said quietly, my head lowered slightly but my eyes sharply fixed on him.

"I'm happy that we finally met." The words broke the impression that I had of he being a newborn child. No; he really was intelligent. "Just this morning I was born, and you were the lucky one to be 'me'..."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I finally exploded, thrusting one arm to the side in a sharp motion.

"You were chosen at random... by a fluke of God," he continued, his finger twirling around and his other hand firmly on his waist. "To be born again..."

"You're talking nonsense!" I shouted.

"It's like you've been... divided by _**zero**_."

The word, for some reason, held heavily in the room, and the aura of heaven and night continued to surround us relentlessly. The beginning of that dark night...


	3. Chap2: The World Beyond Heaven

Authors Notes: _Would've updated sooner, but I'm having a bit of an affair with Code Geass, ahaha... sorry! It's also my week of graduation and things, so I have been and will be VERY busy. Atleast this was already written._

_Thank you so much for the first reviews, favorites, and story alerts! It makes me feel a lot better about posting this. I was a bit nervous, but some people seem to have taken to it, so onwards we go! Let's go, Haseooo!_

_Cuteness in this chapter, because I'm a sucker for it. Even in my dark stories, cuteness can't be avoided. The entrance of several other characters as well. Skeith's knowledge seems to be on and off; he knows some things and others he doesn't. So if there's something he suddenly knows that doesn't make too much sense, it's a slip up from me! There's not much that really needs to be said I think, so I'll just let things go. Thanks for reading. Reviews are absolutely adored and make me want to go on further. Thank youuuu! Sending love to every reader!_

* * *

Wind from the gaping window rustled the light sheets on my bed and blew the curtains around through the blue-tinted moonlight. Darkness shaded the rest of the room, painting myself and the corners, while the light shone on the beast that stood before me, fingers tangled childishly in his hair. The silver strands glowed with the colours of the moon, loving it and absorbing each and every drop of it. His pure red eyes pierced into my soul, holding myself in place. 

"You've been... divided by _**zero**_."

The word '_zero_' hung heavily in the room around us. My head spun with the lack of understanding of everything; nothing made sense. His appearance, my collapsing, and this talk of 'zero' and 'God'... but he spoke it as if it was his life. As if he witnessed it himself and as if he had a first hand account of these bizarre occurrences. But of course he did; his entire 'birth', or his appearance from the air, practically dripped of what could be magical conspiracy. There was no scientific explanation as to how he came into existence, or how he appeared in front of me and those men, was there? Could you even turn to religion for answers of this sort...?

I was overwhelmed, but I decided to speak.

"I don't..." I started, stumbling over my thoughts and words, and speaking broken up.

"'I don't...' ...?" he childishly imitated, a coaxing grin on his face. My glare intensified.

"I don't... believe in God."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"'You were chosen by a fluke of God'... that's what you said, wasn't it?" I reminded, standing heavily on my spot. "If I don't believe in God, I don't think he'd choose me for anything."

"Who said it was your God?" he paused, pulling his fingers from his hair and placing his arm at his side. "Oh, sorry – who said it was 'human' God? I never said we had the same God... and I never said that their God was the right one. And one other thing..." He turned around towards the window and stepped up to it, placing his hands on the pane as he shut it and stared out at the dark-covered world. "Who said that God was a '_he_'?"

My head pounded again. De javu was a pain in the ass; it felt as if I had experienced something similar to this and yet I felt like I hadn't at the same time. My memory was a blur and 'Skeith' wasn't helping. I didn't move; I had the least desire for him to figure that I was falling for his mind games.

The curtains stopped their fluttering movement and fell against my wall. They blocked some of the moonlight from filtering in and the room became particularly darker than it was before. We were silent for a moment; I glared at him, and he stared off far into the distance of the outside world. I took a single step forwards. He didn't budge. Gathering my courage against the beast, I spoke again.

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police right now," I told him strongly, shoving a hand into the pocket of my pants. He turned to face me, appearing confused.

"'Police'? What's that?" he asked, head cocked again to the side.

"Don't play with me anymore! Don't be so stupid! Just leave!" I shouted, taking another step forwards and pulling my cellphone out of my pocket. He just continued to gaze at me curiously.

"But what's a 'police'? Is that a group of people of some sort?"

I snorted. "You honestly can't be that dumb. Police. Cops. Law-enforcers. Men that will come to this house and take you to jail, where you'll live the rest of your crazy life. Get it?"

"'Jail'?" he repeated again, turning his body fully around. His expression seemed as if he wasn't faking. But how could it honestly be possible for him to know the full English language and not know what a 'police man' or a 'cop' was? I suddenly lost tension in my body. The cellphone that I had held in the air dropped along with my arm and now rested against my side with my hand. I stared at him, mouth agape, eyebrows raised in utter disbelief. "I'd like to see this 'jail', if that's where I'm going."

"Are you... serious?"

"Should I not be?"

It was official. I was in my room with an absolute nut case, and no one else was home.

Suddenly, we were disrupted by a sound. It was low and quiet and barely noticeable. A low, far away growl... a rumble of something. Skeith's expression quickly changed and he appeared rather confused, and then scared. It was a strange transformation, and before I knew it he was clutching at his stomach and looking down at it with urgency.

"T-there's something wrong..." he stammered. I reached down and grabbed the phone, placing it in in my pocket and approached him slowly, unsure if I should help him or not.

"What's... wrong?" I asked, hesitating slightly at the thought of helping him.

"M-my stomach... is roaring at me..."

... I stood my ground about the absolute nut case part.

".. okay, okay. I give. You can stop fooling me and just get out now. Alright? I'm done playing your cute little game," I told him, turning around and heading for the door. His voice called back to me desperately.

"Y-you wouldn't...! Just leave me like this...?! I... I think there's something wrong with this body!"

"You're hungry, idiot."

"W-what...?"

* * *

I felt sorry for him; it wasn't that I felt pity about he himself, but I felt sorry for the fact that he really was just lacking in common sense. I don't know what changed about my way of thinking, but maybe I recalled how he had appeared in front of me... and I felt like anything was possible. I was almost half sure now that he was honestly being truthful about half the things that he was naive about, such as being hungry and what police were. I think it was this strange sense of pity that put me in the place I was now; rummaging through the cupboards in my kitchen to try and find him something decent to eat. He sat at the kitchen table, gazing at the brown and light blue colour scheme my mother created and the absolutely spotlessly clean counters and floors. He was cross-legged and his hands were placed in the hole that was created by his two legs like a dog or some other form of canine. He was animalistic, bizarre, stupid, and broke every law of science. I wondered why I didn't just kick him out. A strange sense of connection was between us, and I had yet to decipher it. Leaving him now would only destroy the possibility of ever learning what he was... 

There was nothing in the cupboards decent to eat that didn't require cooking. The light from the ceiling shone into all the corners of the open cupboard, giving me assurance that I wasn't missing anything. Sighing, I pulled out of the cupboard and rested back on my heels instead of the balls of my feet, no longer needing to stretch. Skeith regarded me again, casually studying me.

"What are you looking for?" he asked uncomfortably, still not used to the feeling of hunger.

"Food," I said simply, not wanting to have to talk too much to the freak.

"Why?"

"Because you need to eat," I told him. He only looked more confused. I groaned. "When your stomach rumbles and feels like that, it usually means you're hungry. When you're hungry, you need to eat food. If you don't, you die."

"Sound threatening," he commented, slinking further back in his chair. "You should find this 'food' faster."

I held back snickers. I also held back the urge to tease him more and tell him stories that were obviously untrue but he might believe because he was so... what was a good word? 'Living' impaired.

I shifted over to the fridge and peeked in. It was almost bare; grocery shopping was to be done tomorrow, so no wonder it was like that. I closed it without a second peek and then opened up the freezer above it. The door opened with a tug and directly in front of my gaze was finally something I could use. It wasn't the healthiest, no, but at least it was something that I didn't have any chance of burning the house down with. My cooking skills weren't exactly up to par. I picked it up, flinching slightly at the cold, and then took it out, closed the door behind myself, and placed it on the table. Skeith's attention was instantly drawn to it and he stared at it in awe.

"Is this...?"

"It's one kind of food. It'll do," I told him, turning around to go back to the cupboards to obtain a bowl and spoon. "So, if you don't know what hunger is... you don't know what 'eating' is either, do you?"

I could hear the shake of his hair in the background; a shake of no.

_This is so dumb,_ I thought to myself, keeping the comment in my mind. "You just take food, put it in your mouth, chew, and then swallow. You know what all those big words mean?"

"Yeah. Is that all?"

"Mm. It's not that difficult."

"Hmm..."

I stood on my toes again to reach up high and grabbed a bowl from the middle shelf. I heard Skeith shuffle in the background. I bent back down and went into a drawer that was just below the counter, obtaining a silver spoon. With that, I turned around.

And stopped in my tracks.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Skeith's teeth were clamped down on the edge of the cover of the ice cream container that had rested on the table. He had a painful, stressed expression across his face and looked like he was trying hard to chew through the bucket with all of his might. He paused when I shouted and only moved his eyes to look at me, cocking his head to the side just as he had done so many times before, and the bucket turned with him, now balancing on a corner of the rim.

"Shwwh?" was all I could make out from him speaking without moving his mouth from the spot. His big red eyes gazed up at me, and it was at this point that I realized I really did have some sort of semi-intelligent kid on my hands.

"D-drop that right now!" I shouted, rushing to the table and quickly shoving the bowl and spoon down. He instantly complied; he dropped the bucket from his mouth and brought a hand up to hold his jaw, obviously uncomfortable.

"What? What did I do wrong?" he asked with a glare, lips pursed in a pout. I shook my head.

"That's the outer _casing_! Like wrapping! You don't eat it! You eat what's inside!"

He looked at me if I was crazy.

"Show me, then," he demanded, dropping back to his dog-like sitting position. I sighed and gave an exhausted, aggravated glance towards him, before taking the bucket and opening it. Instantly the smell of vanilla wafted into my nose, and I could assume it was the same for him; his nose twitched and his mouth slowly opened, and his eyes grew wide like a child receiving a present. Suddenly he looked anxious to taste it and he watched my every movement. It was hard to pay attention to the ice cream instead of the awkward, teenage boy who had magically appeared in front of me and jumped into my window. Breaking and entering. But for some reason, I still had not gotten rid of him. What the hell was wrong with me...?

I filled the bowl up to the rim and then picked up the spoon, already getting the idea that I'd have to physically show him every little thing. "Watch me," I told him, and he instantly locked his eyes on the shiny silver spoon that held the heap of the white, cold treat. "And repeat after me, okay?" I placed the spoon in my mouth and took the ice cream, then swallowed. "Get it? Take the ice cream off the spoon in your mouth and then swallow. And _don't eat the spoon_," I explained, stressing the last part. He nodded, holding his hands out expectantly for the new tool to him. I put it in his hands and watched carefully with dull amusement. He repeated perfectly; carefully placing the spoon in his mouth, closing his mouth, pulling the spoon back out, and then swallowing. I nodded.

"Yay. You did it," I spoke without enthusiasm. He grinned with determination and quickly dove in, taking spoonful after spoonful. That was what the next few minutes were all about; Skeith eating ice cream. He made it half way through the carton without slowing or showing signs of getting full. By now, I was resting my head against my folded arms on the table, my eyes half closed as I began to drift into sleep. It had been a long day; the colours of the world faded at the edges and I had no regret about it. I needed the rest.

I heard his voice, but I was partially asleep. I rubbed one eye to try and wake myself up, and responded. "What was that...?"

"You haven't gotten rid of me because you don't want to get rid of me."

I suddenly lost taste for sleep and pushed myself off the table, gazing at him with an intense look. He had... read my thoughts? Or simply guessed? It was the question I was asking myself all night...!

"What...?" I forced out, still feeling drowsy.

"You don't want to get rid of me..." he spoke, paused with a spoonful of ice cream hovering just below his face. His eyes were fixed on it and his mouth was in a grin, though the expression seemed gentle, all knowing, and sly all at the same time. His eyes were partially closed watching the silver and white, not looking up at me at all; it was just something to fix his attention to. "Because, you can feel it too..."

I felt my eyes closing. I was too tired; I couldn't stay up, but I caught the end of his sentence. Whether it was physically heard or my dreams constructed it by the sounds my body heard, it registered in my mind just a moment too late for me to contemplate it tonight. A mystery among mysteries; another part of the puzzle that was just even more puzzling than the first pieces. My world was lost and drowned in a soft black where I was floating in nothing and doing nothing... a soft resting place where words repeated themselves until the dawn.

"You can feel it... that we're connected... 'other me'..."

* * *

The next morning, I awoke on the kitchen table, same as where I had fallen asleep the night before. 

In front of me, still in his own chair, Skeith had done the same. His head was rested against the wooden surface and his hair was scattered all around him. He slept soundly, unmoving. I was glad that he had figured out that sleeping wasn't going to kill him. I groaned, looked at the time, and felt dissatisfied at my waking up. Just in time to get ready for school. But that also meant thinking time.

I quickly got out of my school uniform and threw it into the washing machine, and then jumped into the shower. The hot water gave me a chance to think. Skeith... I I wasn't getting rid of him any time soon, was I? It was true; I felt something strange about him. But his words made less and less sense as the time went on. Talk of a God, talk of other halves, talk about me being the other 'him'. Things spun around in circles in my mind. I was going to be sick again if I kept it up, so I shoved the thoughts to the back of my head and quickly finished showering. I temporarily put on a bath robe and brushed my hair and teeth, ate breakfast, prepared lunch, and other odds and ends. I ran downstairs and put my clothes in the dryer. I had a half hour to wait; I slipped into the living room and studied a little, not wanting to fall behind. It was something that kept my mind distracted, even a little. It wasn't long before the half hour was up, and I ran and got changed, throwing my shoes on quickly out the door. I didn't bother saying that I was leaving to Skeith; I really didn't care. Maybe by the time I got back from school, he would be gone.

I stepped out into the bright world. The sky was an early-morning shade of brilliant blue and everything had a fresh scent. The sweet, green grass was painted with droplets of dew, and the sights of summer quickly filled my senses. Early birds chirped from their trees, a squirrel squeaked across across the road, and the noise of one or two cars and friendly people floated into my ears.

Of course, things wouldn't be normal for me; almost seconds out of the door and closing it, I ran smack into someone.

I quickly pulled away to catch brown hair and a small boy running behind the one that I had crashed into. At first I was unsure and had to get my bearings straight, and I opened my mouth to yell at them to get off of my sidewalk because I was tired of dealing with freaks...

"W-whoa, Haseo, calm down! It's just us!"

I stopped for a moment, regained balance, and caught site of another familiar face. Soft brown hair that was tied into a thin section that reached to the boy's waist and forest green eyes greeted me with an urgency to stop my outburst. Behind him, a younger boy peeked out, with blond hair that was longer on each side than in the back and gave the impression of puppy ears. He had big blue eyes and a small plush toy of a dog clutched safely at his chest. The brown-haired boy was dressed in my school uniform, and the smaller one was dressed in the junior high uniform. I sighed, pulling fingers through my hair, and relaxed.

"Silabus. Gaspard."

Silabus smiled. Gaspard pulled himself out from the older one's back and smiled shyly as well.

"G-good morning, Haseo," he whimpered, still getting used to having older friends. Silabus was his 'Big Brother'; it was a group that matched younger kids with older companions so that they would have someone to spend time with. Silabus was perfect for the job. It was through Silabus that I met Gaspard, and because of their connection I found myself with the younger boy a lot. It wasn't so bad. I grew to think of him of at least decent company; he was more mature than the average junior high boy.

"I see you're in a rush today, Haseo!" Silabus commented with a friendly laugh and a wave. Silabus was my second friend; it was strange how someone as kind as him was drawn to someone like me. It was the same with Kuhn, though; I never pulled over friends like myself. Maybe our personalities would clash too much, and with kind friends they always got a laugh out of my anger.

"Good morning, I guess," I forced out, not exactly feeling the best. We all turned and started to walk towards the bus stop. Gaspard's bus didn't come for another half hour, but he liked to spend time with us so he always got up early and walked with us. As we strolled down the sidewalk, the blond gave me a worried look while walking close to Silabus' side.

"Are you okay, Haseo?" he asked, expression tainted with worry.

I looked over to him, forcing a confused expression beyond my tired eyes. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Me an' Silabus heard about what happened yesterday... and you don't seem too good today, either. Are you sure you should be going to school?"

I was shocked. They knew about Skeith?! Suddenly I remembered about the collapsing as well, and I realized that was what they were talking about. "... oh. That. Yeah, I'm alright."

"You've got bags under your eyes," Silabus pointed out in a friendly, worried fashion, poking my cheek with a single finger as his other hand held the handle of his bag. I bent my head to his stab.

"I just didn't get a very good sleep last night... I'm not sick anymore, if that's what you mean."

"That's good," he responded, his face suddenly glowing. He was the kind of guy that would stay up all night worrying about one of his friends. In fact, I bet that's how he spent his night last night. I smiled in return. The rest of the walk consisted of chatting back and forth about mindless things; normal things. It was a nice break. We talked about projects and homework, about the high school Gaspard was going to pick when the time came, about college, about what to do after school, about girls (which was a funny topic because Gaspard always got so flustered, and it usually lead to poking fun at Kuhn's 'illness') ... anything and everything on that short, ten minute walk.

After making it to the bus stop, we waited about five minutes until the yellow vehicle arrived. Silabus patted Gaspard on the head and wished him luck in his classes today. Gaspard smiled and saw us off. We boarded the bus together and took a seat with eachother. A radio station played from speakers on the ceiling of the bus. Silabus waved to Gaspard until he was out of sight, and I laughed; he was the perfect older brother. We were on our way and Silabus and I continued to chat about this and that. A normal morning routine... an extreme relief.

Silabus paused mid way in conversation, his eyes fixed up on one of the speakers and frowned. I hadn't heard it because I was still talking, but his stop caused myself to stop as well. "What?" I asked him, watching for his reaction. He laughed nervously.

"Sorry, it was the broadcast about that man who collapsed at work yesterday, again... see, my dad knew one of the workers at that place. Now everyone's really paranoid... it's a funny coincidence that it happened the same day that you collapsed, too..." he stopped, eyes downcast with a forced smile. Somehow I felt that wasn't the whole story.

... wait a second. I hadn't gotten a chance to catch the news or read a newspaper since yesterday morning. This story was new to me.

"Someone passed out?" I asked, suddenly curious. I felt that coincidences weren't coincidences anymore after all that had happened.

"You didn't hear?" he responded, surprised. As he spoke the story, he was sort of solemn. "Yesterday a big company called an emergency and the entire place was evacuated. Police and firefighters were called in, but there was no fire... the media won't say exactly what happened. But the police came out with a man who was unconscious and hasn't woken up yet... he's been in the emergency room," I listened with my mouth partially open and a certain sense of fear tangling with my heart. "And that's not all... apparently, last night, one of the workers who was with that guy when he collapsed... his wife called in an ambulance. He collapsed as well, and now he's in the same condition..."

"What... was the cause?" I forced out, but I felt like I already knew the answer.

"No one knows yet," which was what I figured. "There are no traces of poison, radiation, over heating, fire, smoke... nothing. The CEO of the company won't say a word. He's staying silent. He probably knows something..."

"What's the company?"

"I don't know..." but I felt like he was lying again. Silabus never lied for no reason; I knew not to pry too much further.

"Do you at least know the name of the CEO?" I questioned, deciding to leave it as my last comment about the whole situation.

"I think it was... Yata, or something like that."

"I see."

Yata.

I knew I had heard that name somewhere... but... where?

Collapsing. People not waking up. Unknown causes.

Flukes of God. Other sides. Dividing by zero. ... Skeith.

I wondered if all of this was connected somehow... and I knew what my afternoon was going to consist of today.

* * *

"What? You're busy today? That's totally uncool!" 

"You remember yesterday. The doctors wanted me in for another check up, so I've got to go in and get it done. It'll be just you, Silabus, and Gaspard today I guess."

"Well, then all I can do is tell you to get better, isn't it?"

"I'm not sick. It's just a check-up."

"Isn't that the excuse I use on you all the time?"

"That's true. Nice to see you confessing to it." We both laughed.

Kuhn and I walked down the hallway, heading to the cafeteria. Classes had gone on all morning and we had sat through them, bored, but surviving. It was true; I had to get a check-up this afternoon. I also had some other business at the hospital... but that would be saved for after. We turned the corner of the hall, walking side by side and barely paying attention to the world around us. Kuhn's eyes caught on every girl we walked by. He smiled at them and waved at them and greeted them whether they knew him or not. Half of them giggled and waved back shyly. The other half glared and scoffed and kept walking. The first half probably didn't know Kuhn very well yet.

"Well, aren't their attitudes in good use," I commented, watching a group of girls glare at Kuhn. Kuhn laughed nervously.

"I invited two of them out on a date about three months ago... but it was on the same date at the same place, so they met each other and realized I had asked more than just the one girl. So now they won't talk to me. Funny, isn't it?" he explained as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Mm. Real funny. Couldn't understand why." My voice was loaded with sarcasm.

"Now now, that's not very ni-"

It happened without warning. Kuhn suddenly looked shocked and he lost his gaze in front of him. His legs gave way and he tumbled to the ground, hitting it with a cry out and barely catching himself from fully colliding with it. His legs were sprawled out awkwardly on the floor and his hands held strongly to it, but it was easy to see they wanted to give out too. I instantly dropped to his side. "Kuhn!" I called out to him, grabbing onto his back with one arm and supporting his chest with the other. Kuhn took in a deep breath of air, and then turned his head and weakly smiled at me.

"Whoops. My bad," he said so casually with that fake smile that it almost seemed like he wasn't hurt at all. I frowned.

"But..." I started, knowing what he'd tell me directly after. The same thing he said every time.

"It's not so serious. It'll go away with time. That's what they told me."

There was never any different answer whenever it happened. I knew there was nothing more I could do about it. I started to help him up, and suddenly found it much easier. There was an extra pair of arms helping him up and an extra voice; a female voice, asking "Are you okay, mister?", which drew both mine and Kuhn's attention towards the second person that was now helping up and supporting Kuhn. I took one glance and instantly I recognized her; it was a little shocking. But she just smiled and helped me carry him to the nurse's office, as Kuhn muttered an 'ow' with each step.

* * *

The girl and I stood outside the office, leaning against the door. Every now and then she would glance and me, and I would glance at her, but then we would resume staring off again. It was awkward, I guess, meeting in a place like this so unexpectedly. She definitely recognized me as well. I finally looked up one last time, getting a full look at her. 

It was the girl from the night before; the one that I had saved from the three men.

Her blond hair was now neat and combed. It reached down to her shoulders and curved around her head softly with feathery strands. Her blue eyes didn't shine with tears anymore; they looked nervous, just like the rest of her body portrayed. She was unsure of what to say to me now. She was dressed in my school uniform... well, of course, because she was in this school. She attended this school. I hadn't met her before, probably because she looked to be about a year younger than me.

I started the conversation knowing that she wouldn't.

"Are you doing alright now?"

"Huh?" she said quickly, startled. Then she smiled and giggled and waved her hands in the air. She was probably nervous all the time. "Y-yes! I'm perfectly fine now!"

We were quiet again, as she focused her gaze on her shoes and turned her feet in and out and in and out on the ground. She opened her mouth now and then to say something, but it never came out. I sighed.

"Look, if you want to say something, then just say it."

"Ah-! Uhm...!"

"What is it?" I probably sounded irritated with her. It was a little annoying how she wouldn't talk.

"I-I just... wanted to say 'thank you'. But I wasn't... I wasn't sure how to put it in words good enough that you'd understand how much my gratitude really is," she finally said, taking in a deep breath and blowing out again. "It shouldn't just be a normal 'thank you'."

"You're welcome," I said simply, not thinking anything of it.

"U-uh... is it true?"

"What?"

"Is it true that you... do that a lot?"

"Oh. Yeah." I guess word had gotten around.

It was a trait of mine; I had a strong sense of justice, you could say, and I liked to deal with things my way. If someone was being bullied or attacked unfairly, I would jump in and beat the crap out of whoever was the one doing the picking on. A lot of younger kids thought of me to be a guardian of some sort. Maybe I just liked fighting. My skills were quite good; my dad's version of playing with me when I was younger was play fighting and I loved every minute of it. I guess you could say that's where I got my practice. Word seemed to spread even to high school about my self-righteous attacks that I had performed whenever needed. I was like my own police force who used fighting as a way of stopping criminals, or even just school bullies.

"It must be hard..." she continued, fumbling with her fingers.

"Not really," I responded dully, not finding much amazement in the conversation.

"U-uhh..."

"What is it now?"

"Is... is your friend okay?"

"You mean Kuhn?"

"Yeah..."

"... probably."

Suddenly we were silent again. I was caught thinking. She looked up, a hand held out and a worried expression. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry...!"

"... he's always been like that," I started, looking at the ground. It was so immediate, but I felt like I had to tell someone about it. I felt like I needed to get it out. "Since he was a little kid, he's always, always been like that. His body was weak when he was born... he never had a very good immune system, and there were lots of things medically wrong with him. He's made it this far, though... so that's good, at least. Falling like that... isn't something out of the ordinary for him. 'It'll go away with time'. That's what he keeps telling me." I held my tounge. Why was I telling this to some stranger? I sharply changed the tone of my voice. "Anyway, shouldn't you be heading to your class? Juniors have a different lunch than us. You're late. Get going."

She perked, remembering, and nodded, turning on her feet and quickly leaving. I had probably left her feeling awkward. When she was out of sight, for a moment I didn't budge, but it didn't last long.

'It'll go away with time'.

'It'll go away with time'.

'It'll go away with time'.

"How many times do you have to tell me that before it won't go away...?!"

Angry, stressed, and absolutely hating the world, I turned and kicked a locker. The dull sound bounced through the now empty hallway. Just as I had done when I first entered my room last night, I fell against the wall and slid down with my hands. My hand met with something on the floor, and I slowly turned to look at it.

The girl's school bag sat there. Her name, 'Atoli', was printed in bright pink letters on the very front, and there was a small bird key chain from the zipper. Just as I noticed it, a voice called out to me.

"You going to just sit there or are you going to go give it to her?"

I looked up. Kuhn stood over me, looking as if nothing had happened at all. I looked down to the bag. "If you don't want to..." he started, bending down onto his knees to get a better look at me, who was sitting on the floor. "I'll do it. But you know what I'll do if I go instead, right?"

"You'll flirt with her," I responded instantly, sighing. It was his way of getting me to do things.

"I don't know who she is, but you seem to know her. Is she your girlfriend that you didn't tell me about?" He teased me and faked a frown. I responded with childish anger.

"No, she's not! I just met her last night-"

"Come on, don't dawdle, go give it to her," he quickly cut me off, lifting me up off my feet and then lifting the bag up and shoving it in my hands. "Or at least tell her you're not interested."

I turned on my feet, getting ready to head off, but only because he wanted me to. "It's not like that!" I shouted back, storming down the hallway with the pink bag in my hands. I could imagine Kuhn waving me off happily behind me. I groaned to myself. As I went through the hall, people gave me awkward looks. Oh, look. It's Haseo carrying a pink feminine bag. Angry, masculine Haseo is carrying a pink bag. Look at him go. Lets take pictures and post them in the school newspaper! I made up what they were thinking and burst into the office, less than happy. The secretary quickly picked that up off of me.

"Please call a junior named Atoli down to the office. I have her bag," I forced out with a sharp tounge. Kuhn's teasing brought me into this mood. The receptionist chuckled lightly and began typing away at her computer, looking up her schedule, and then made an announcement over the P.A.. I flopped down into a seat and fixed my attention on the mini T.V. that was placed in there to amuse the waiting students. It was always on the news... nothing actually interesting. I thought if I was lucky the broadcast about the company and the fainting people would come up, but they were busy talking about some car crash on the highway.

I had to wait a couple minutes before the blond burst into the office, panting and flustered. It was almost as if we had never left each other. She ran to the desk, not even noticing me, and asked the receptionist if she had her bag. The receptionist just laughed and pointed behind her to me. I was resting my head in my chin and trying to act as if I didn't notice her. She turned around with an expression painted with relief and joy and almost pranced over to where I was, bending down so that she was level with me since I was sitting.

"M-my bag..." she started, clutching her hands to her chest with a big smile. "You wanted to return it to me?"

"I couldn't just leave it there," I told her, handing her the pink backpack and more than happy to get rid of it. "So yeah, I guess. There you are. Don't go leaving your things all around."

"Thank you sooo much! Mister... Haseo, right?"

Damn, she knows my name.

"Where did you hear that? My name," I inquired, wanting to know where my name came from.

"Well... I told my best friend about you, and she told me about what you do and she told me your name..." she explained, clinging to the bag with a smile that would probably give Kuhn a heart attack from 'cuteness'.

Suddenly, the news reporter sounded frantic.

Everyone in the room was drawn in by the outburst. Atoli and I curiously turned our heads to the screen. The receptionist paused her work and craned her head to look at the screen. Two teachers that had been talking behind the desk had walked out to take a look. A student that was sitting down, waiting to be punished, looked up lazily. It was the urgency in her voice, the shock and fear in her voice, that drew us all to wonder what it was. I stepped over, deciding to be the one to actually do something, and turned the volume on the T.V. up.

"_-- and are just relaying this to us now. Only one of the victims was identified. The other two are completely maimed_."

"What is she talking about?" Atoli asked, but I held a finger up to shush her.

"Just wait a second and she'll say," I told her calmly, but my sense of calm was shattered by her next words.

"_-and I repeat. Three middle-aged men were just found by the police - all three of them murdered. One of the men, Takeya Rio, was the only one identified. The other two are completely indistinguishable. Takeya Rio-_"

An image flashed on the screen. Atoli dropped her bag as my jaw dropped.

Clear as day by a strange coincidence, on the screen was one of the three men that had attacked Atoli last night.

"They--" she started.

"--murdered?!" I almost shouted. Knowing someone who was murdered was more intense than just hearing about it, even if I didn't particularly like them.

"_--were found hacked and slashed in a ditch just ten minutes ago. The weapon is not known, but due to the nature of the slashes, police are believing that it may have been done by a sickle or scythe. None of them had even the slightest chance of being alive. Due to the graphic nature of the scene of the crime, we are not permitted to show footage of the area on screen. Police are puzzled by the disturbing notes written on the road in blood, which is being tested now but is most likely that of those murdered._"

A new image popped onto the screen. It was a still image instead of live feedback, but it was probably taken just moments before either way. The image was of highway pavement coated in crimson – the deep red of human blood. In easy to read, solid letters, was a word written in the dark red, surrounded by dots and splatters of more. I covered my mouth, feeling dizzy, but not for the same reason as yesterday. The feeling of throwing up was stronger now, but it was self induced.

"_-the word '__**dissapear**__' was found on the road in the victims blood. There are no traces of the murderer, which means there is a high chance they are still active in the city. Citizens are to take ext-_"

I couldn't hear the broadcast anymore. Sound wasn't reaching my ears. The word... the single word that I had repeated over and over again in my head when I was running away from them. That word was now painted in blood – _their_ blood! - on the side of the road at a murder scene. _Their_ murder scene. Atoli was talking about something in the background, but I couldn't make sense of that either. It felt as if something had just been thrown onto my shoulders; a terrible weight, a terrible deed, a terrible... terrible...

"There's no way... there's no way... it's not... I didn't..." I mumbled out to myself. "I didn't... I never told anyone...! My thoughts... thoughts can't... they can't—!!"

My head spun.

_You can't... kill someone with thoughts._

_It's not possible._

_I didn't do it._

_It's a coincidence._

_And yet... how... how...!!_

In a dizzied hurry, I burst out of the office. I didn't stop and I didn't care. I ran through the front doors, head pounding, memories of last night whizzing through my head. I didn't kill anybody, and yet... nothing made sense anymore. For some reason, everything seemed like it was falling apart just now. Since yesterday morning when I collapsed, nothing made sense anymore.

By the time I came back to reality I was far from the school. I was panting out on the sidewalk, about a block away from the hospital; I had ran far. Images of the news broadcast beat my mind relentlessly. I knew I didn't do it, but there was still too much coincidence. There was also another problem; what if Atoli thought I was the murderer? She and I were the only ones that saw them last night-

- except.

... for Skeith.

The urgency to get home suddenly increased. Skeith had been there as well. In fact, he had disappeared before I went home in the direction of the three men. Which meant...

That he, Skeith...

... might have witnessed the murder.

Whoever he was, whatever purpose he had, he had been there. I didn't know where he came from, what tricks he was pulling, or what he wanted to do... but the truth was he was the only one left that might have the answers. And now my life was in danger; the police might come to the conclusion that I did it because I was there and I did attack them. No one saw the end of the fight. No one saw me run away. I was the most likely suspect.

I turned away from the hospital, suddenly deciding that the paths I took last night were the only way. I had to get home. If I was lucky, Skeith would still be there...

But I was unaware of the truth that was approaching me. I was unaware that the dark night had already started...


	4. Chap3: The Darkness That You've Gained

Authors Notes: _Wow, everyone. I'm really shocked. I'm really shocked at how much love this has received just with the first two chapters (and the prologue). All the comments are great, too! I wish I wasn't so busy; I want to serve you guys as much of this as possible! Updates go fast with pre-written chapters, however, and once I breach chapter 5 I can't promise the speed of releases. Thank you so much for all the encouragement (and all the SkeithxHaseo comments... hahaha.) and please keep on reading. I promise, stuff happens in this chapter!_

_Sorry guys, I really don't know if stomach medicine will help if you eat half a bottle of toothpaste. Please don't try that at home. I also don't know the effects it would have on your stomach if you ate half a bottle of toothpaste, dish detergent and part of a cardboard box. Also reading over this fanfiction made me realize that I COMPLETELY forgot about the 'fort' and must change some things in the beginning of chapter 6..._

_Thank you thank you thank you! (It is becoming quite apparent the contrast between my personality and the contents of this story, isn't it...? Ahahaha.)_

* * *

Clouds covered over the sky. The world suddenly seemed darker than before even though it was daytime. The gray of the above world left a depressing air about everything. The gentle, slow, and very few raindrops that fell broke up on the ground and made small splashes of water. This gray reflected in people's hearts; dull days like this made people feel dull. Nature had a funny way of doing that.

I ran through the street, approaching the alley from last night. I took the same route that I had from the hospital; it was the quickest. My face was a constant painting of urgency; I was scowling and yet scared at the same time. My feet carried me as fast as they could, and even so I felt as if it wasn't enough. The tiny drops struck me now and then and I knew the pouring rain was going to come soon. I traveled down the paved sidewalk and took a sharp turn -

- to find the alley barred off with police tape.

I took in a deep breath. A chill went down my spine, and I felt that sickening feeling again. Police cars surrounded the entrance. A few officers were standing outside of the tape, talking to each other. It was obvious that their coworkers were all inside, doing work. I could see it only faintly; the colours of crimson red painting the brick wall and the ground from deep within the alley. I could only imagine how grotesque the real scene looked like. And now my way home was cut off. All other routes would take a long time. I shoved a hand into my uniform's pant pocket, and my fingers slid against metal. I nodded and turned from the scene, deciding on a different route. Well, it wasn't like I had much of a choice.

I turned on my feet and ran.

* * *

I stepped into the small, closed, moving world.

The doors shut quickly behind me. I reached into my pocket and pulled a coin, and then stepped up the small set of stairs. I placed the coin into the machine in front of me, and the bus driver smiled at me in return. I was free to go. I walked down the isle of the bus and took my seat near the front beside a man I didn't know. And with that, I placed my elbows on my knees, my hands raised and opened, and buried my face in them.

I guess it all finally hit me. A lot had happened in the past twelve or so hours. And now I was the number one suspect for a murder case, if the police were smart enough to figure out that I was there. Or if they discovered that Atoli was there and she felt the need to blame me. I didn't know her well enough to trust her. I wasn't weak enough to burst into tears, but I was human enough to be overwhelmed by the entire thing.

I had thought 'disappear' to the men, and then that night they were murdered.

On top of that, the word 'disappear' was painted in their blood at the scene of the crime.

... but why...?

I didn't...

I didn't really... want anyone to die...

No matter how much I disliked this world, I didn't want someone to die.

I don't know what I want...

If I hate this world so much, then why am I so affected by the death of a criminal...?

Humanity. Every human was human, and so they had a sense of humanity. I still had my 'humanity'; even though I thought almost everyone was wrong, I still believed the human race had a right to go on. It was hypocritical, but it was true.

"You look troubled."

I didn't look up. The words came from the man beside me. I could tell he was older than me by his voice, but I didn't care much for his physical appearance. I didn't respond either, and there were a few moments of silence again.

"It's quite a terrible day... with all the strange crimes and strange happenings... don't you think?" he spoke again. I didn't reply again, but I was listening. I didn't really have the energy to have a conversation, and especially not with a stranger.

"Well, I'm sure your day will look up, even if it's not today."

The bus came to a halt. I heard the man lift from his seat. This was his stop.

"Oh, by the way..." he started again, but as he spoke I heard his voice get quieter as the distance between us increased.

"The company you're looking for is called '_G.U._'. You can find it in the phone book under that name."

I shot my head up, just in time to watch him step off the bus, and the only thing I could take in of him was that he was taller than me and had dark brown hair. I quickly shifted over to his seat and practically pressed my face against the window, but I couldn't spot him in the crowds that gathered on the street. I balled up a fist, but stopped myself from banging against the window; it certainly wasn't going to get his attention.

One piece of the many puzzles that had been started was filled in. 'G.U.'. The name of the company... that had the two men that collapsed. But a new puzzle had opened itself; how that man knew what I was looking for. I felt as if I had been stalked or something. I slowly brought one arm across my chest and clung to my other sleeve, weakly defensive.

G.U...

I know I've heard of it before...

Oh, that's right...

... wait.

"Does that mean..." I started, looking out the window with a worried expression. "The real reason why he was so upset was because..."

I realized I really didn't know anything. If I had known sooner, maybe I wouldn't have been so silent, and maybe I would have actually been comforting.

Because, G.U. was...

The bus stopped at my stop.

* * *

I practically slammed the door to my house when opening it.

No lights were on, just as I had left it. The darkness coated all the rooms and was broken by the bits of gray light that shone from the windows. I looked down at the doormat, where our shoes were kept. There were none there. That meant mom and dad were still at work. With that in mind I closed the door behind me, stepped further inside, and called out as loud as I could.

"Skeith?!"

There was no reply.

I stepped through the darkness and into the kitchen. Nothing was as I left it. Skeith wasn't there, and there was boxes of things scattered everywhere. Boxes and cans of food (one of the boxes was half chewed up), a bottle of dish detergent open and pouring out slowly on the counter beside the sink, cupboards open and more bare than before, chairs turned over, pillows from the living room scattered across the floor, and the living room couch turned over in the kitchen with a blanket over top, creating a fascinating little fort.

I took in a deep breath.

Don't explode, he doesn't know anything... don't explode, he doesn't know anything...

I turned my back on the huge mess that I'd be cleaning up all night and walked back into the hallway, turning and going up the stairs to the second level.

"Skeith...?!" I called out again. This time there was a reply; a low groan. I followed the sound into the bathroom.

I found him there, sprawled out on the floor. He was groaning and holding his stomach with one hand, the other hand lying lazily on the floor above his head. His eyes were shut tight and he looked rather pathetic. The cause was obvious by the empty box of a new toothpaste container, and the real container was half empty, open, and lying in the sink.

"I leave you for a couple of hours and not only do you completely destroy my kitchen and living room, but you also feel the need to consume half a bottle of toothpaste, which I might like to point out can kill you if you swallow too much of it..." I finally commented, pointing down at him with my other hand firmly on my waste. As I glared down at him he opened one eyes to look at me.

"I... got hungry... and finished that cold stuff... so I tried to find something else... but all the stuff you have is disgusting..." he forced out. Just as he finished he rolled over and continued to clutch his stomach, groaning again. I sighed. "My stomach feels like it wants to explode...!"

"I guess I didn't tell you that some things you can't eat. Oh, and if you eat too much, even of healthy food, you'll get sick, too."

"There sure are a lot of rules... auurrgghh..."

"Yeah, go figure. I guess you really suck at this."

"Don't pick on me...!"

I spent fifteen minutes getting him to take stomach medicine. It was quite a battle because he didn't feel like eating anything else after the effects of everything else. I had to constantly assure him that nothing was going to happen, and even so he kicked and screamed like a little kid, pouting and exclaiming that he was 'finished with eating forever'. I imagined the effects of that and couldn't help but laugh, and I think laughing at him finally got him to clue in. He took the medicine without much fight. After we finally got over that distraction, I forced him down into a chair to sit still for a minute. He just looked up at me with that childish look of innocent confusion.

"Listen, something happened..." I started.

"Did someone hurt you?" he instantly questioned, his eyes narrowing and a look of worried anger crossing over his face.

"No, nothing like... well, sort of. But not physically. I'm in a lot of trouble now, and you're probably the only one who can save me."

"Who did it?"

"I don't know who did it... that's why I'm asking you," I told him, bending down so I could be level with him. "No playing dumb, no screwing around. This is important. It's about last night."

Skeith quieted. He still looked at me with that angry worry, but it had lessened quite a bit.

"Skeith, do you..." I faltered and turned my head away for a moment, remembering the heavy weight of all of this, but I turned back again to look at him. "Skeith, do you know what happened to those three men last night...?!"

His expression lessened. He turned his head to the side, just as he always did, and listened more intently.

"You followed after them, didn't you? Did you see what happened to them? You know that..."

"They're dead," he finished for me casually.

"That's right. Then, you saw it."

"Why?"

I paused. He didn't know much about the police. "Listen... people dying is a big deal. They can't come back. Ever. That's it. They're gone."

"I know. What are you getting at?"

"Because of that... we have the police. The police protect people. They do whatever they can to stop death and disorder."

"You mentioned them last night, too. They must be important," he crossed his legs and sat with his hands in between them again - his favorite position, perhaps.

"When someone is... murdered," by now, I was finding it hard to say that word. "The police investigate and try to find out who did it. And when they do find out, that person goes to jail for life. Sometimes... the police can be wrong."

"But the police don't know who did it."

"That's right. Now, who was there last night before they were murdered?"

"You and me and the three men."

"That's right. The police don't know you exist... and the three men didn't kill themselves. So, who does that leave?"

"You?"

"That's right."

"So these police are going to take you away."

"Not if you help me," I explained. "You were at the scene of the crime, weren't you? You knew that they were dead without even watching the news. That means you know who did it... and if you testify to the police and tell them who did it, then they'll believe you as a witness and then I'll be free and the real murderer will be the one that they'll focus on. Do you understand?"

"I'll help you, Haseo. They won't take you away," he assured me, eyes downcast on the ground. I thought he was trying to recall everything about that night.

I smiled weakly. A wave of relief washed over me. I pulled myself back up and nodded. "Then let's go. To that place. To the scene of the crime. But first..."

Skeith looked up at me again curiously. "What?"

"You don't exactly blend well with other people. You stand out. I don't think we really want stares, so..."

He tilted his head to the side again.

* * *

The bus was becoming very familiar to me, and I think the bus driver was beginning to recognize me. I now sat on the bus beside a man I didn't recognize, yet I knew who it was. Skeith curiously looked all around at all the people and the moving vehicle, dressed in a black hoodie and blue jeans; some of my casual clothes. The hood was up so that people wouldn't see his odd coloured hair. He didn't want to loose his old clothes, so he just wore the hoodie over his belts, and the jeans were rather baggy so they went right over as well. The only other problem we had was his strange, red tattoos on his face, but that was quickly dealt with. Being a boy I didn't own any makeup, but my mom was an artist. Now and then, Skeith rubbed his face uncomfortably. Acrylic paint must have felt strange to be left on your face like that. But it would have to do; I didn't want the town to think he was a freak. Or maybe I was more worried about the town thinking that _I_ was traveling with a freak and it had nothing to do with his image at all.

Now that things were looking a little more up, I suddenly felt guilty for just running from the school. I hadn't told anyone; I was skipping, really. Feeling a little nervous about it, I took my cellphone out of my pocket and flipped the cover. Kuhn's number was the first on speed dial. I could just press it, and then I'd get a hold of him and he could tell the teachers I was sick. It wasn't really a lie – I felt absolutely terrible as I was leaving the school. My finger hovered over the button.

... and I closed the top.

Wait until this is all over. I don't want to tell Kuhn 'everything is okay', and then everything gets shot to hell and I'm in jail. I decided that I'd phone him tonight and tell him _everything_. About Skeith, about 'disappear', and about that man who knew what I was looking for. It's not that I wanted to burden him... but that if I kept it in for too long, it would all build up and then I'd go crazy. I glanced over at Skeith.

Skeith; that innocent, animal-like being; the one who appeared out of thin air and spoke nonsense as if it was common knowledge; the man that sometimes I felt attached to, and sometimes felt like I wanted to have nothing to do with. Mixed emotions were all I got from him.

How much of this would you believe, Kuhn?

... coming from me, I knew you'd believe just about anything. You trust me. Especially with solid proof.

I glanced out the window just to catch sight of our stop ahead of us; the one just a corner away from that alley. I pulled the string. The bus came to a halt, and I dragged Skeith off of the bus. He continued to study it curiously even as we got out. It drove away, and he pulled his attention to the surrounding area instead. We walked, side by side, turning that corner that lead to the scene of last night – returning to that place. Never in my life had I expected myself to ever be bringing a strange man to the police to clear my name of murder.

The scene came into view. A chill ran up my spine as I remembered the edges of the scene that I had seen when I came here an hour earlier. The entire area felt freezing cold, but probably only to myself. There was only one police car left. At the front of the closed off alley, there were two police officers talking to each other. The others were probably gone; they had done their work, and now there were only these two left to watch over the area.

We approached them slowly. Skeith noticed them and watched them, unsure of who they were. It was easy to tell by his expression. They noted us as well and turned to greet us. I found that my walking slowed as we got closer. Soon, we were but a meter away from each other.

There was silence for a moment.

"... Hello," one of them said, voice unsure. He obviously didn't know why we were here.

"... Hello," I repeated, keeping a solid gaze on the officer's eyes.

"Hello!" Skeith copied, smiling at the end, and then returning to that curious state. I tried not to react to his awkwardness at all, but if we had been anywhere else I would have hit him and told him to act normal.

"Is there something you would like? This alley is closed off," the second officer stated. He looked older and more experienced than the first.

I took a deep breath and composed myself the best I could. I had one shot, really, because if I acted suspicious then it was all over.

"I have information about last night."

The two police officers stared at me in disbelief.

"What...?!"

"What can you tell us?!"

I looked back to Skeith, who was now squirming in the hoodie, obviously uncomfortable. "This man... was there at the scene of the crime."

The younger police officer took a step forward. "Why didn't he report it sooner?!"

"H-he's quite confused... so I don't think he thought of it," I made up, though it wasn't really a lie.

The older officer moved in front of the younger one. "Let me speak to him."

I nodded and looked back again to Skeith, who was still trying to get the shirt off. I groaned. "Can't you sit still for just one minute...?!" I asked him, walking over and pulling the shirt off myself. The officers were obviously shocked at first, and then rather disturbed at his clothing; it looked like something that some sort of hooker might wear. Skeith grunted. "Tell the police officers what you saw," I told him. He blinked and looked to me.

"These are... police officers?" he asked. I nodded.

"And don't make me look stupid,"

"These men...?" he started, but he was suddenly cut off by a movement. I was jolted too; the older police officer placed a hand on my shoulder and gazed down at me. The younger one watched in confusion.

"Sir, what are you...?"

"Why don't we just wrap this up here?" he said, looking back to the younger one. Then he looked back to me. "Boy, were you there too?"

"Huh? I..." I started, nervously. "I was there before it happened... and then my friend left and I went home. I think that's when it happened..."

"But you were in the area?"

"A little bit away... but, y-yeah. I don't know anything about it, though."

I was reminded of the word 'disappear'.

"Can you prove you weren't the murderer?"

Suddenly, adrenaline rushed through my body and I stiffened. I knew it was a bad move; he was on to me. "I didn't do it, I swear! My friend can tell you who really did it!"

"... let go of Haseo..."

The voice was quiet - almost too quiet - and it wasn't payed attention to.

The police officers grip didn't loosen. The younger officer started again. "Sir, what are you-"

The older one turned to him.

"Why go through all the trouble to find one murderer that killed a couple of criminals?"

"... w... what...?" I forced out. Suddenly my mind was taken over by disbelief. What was he saying?!

"I don't understand, sir... it's our job..." the younger one began again, but the older one cut him off.

"I became a police officer to protect this world," he continued, his grip on me only increasing. I was glued to the place in shock. "So what if there's a murderer on the loose doing our job the quick way? He attacked _criminals_. We were looking for them, too. And now they're not harming anyone else. See? They're protecting innocents."

"No one should be sent to death for every little reason!" I shouted at him. My outburst probably didn't look good. He looked down to me and ignored my statement.

"But the head office won't let us go unless we bring something back... and this boy was there."

"Sir, are you saying that..." the younger one tried to speak again, but he was cut off by a brutal sentence.

"Why not just blame this boy, convince the head office that it's true, and let the murderer run free? It'll save us time on criminals and time on work. He was there last night, so it's believable..."

"Sir- we can't-"

"You bastard! How could you even think about that?! If the murderer stays around, people will be killed! How could you-"

"I'm the older one. I'm in authority. And if you say anything, I'll fire you."

The younger one was cut short. His eyes were wide and he was taking a step back at the officers brutality. I squirmed in his grip, glare focused on him completely.

_... dis..._

I stopped in the tracks of my mind.

_No._

No. I don't want to think that...

"... let go..."

The voice came again, a little louder.

"Do you think you can really fight against the police, boy? Come on; if you sacrifice yourself here, then you can save us hours and hours of searching. It's not like you really have a choice-"

"How could you... how could you even think of...?!" I couldn't even think of anything to say. The fact that there was someone in the police force that disgusting was a big enough shock to my system.

_...isapp..._

No.

No, no, no...

The last time I thought of that...!

"... let go... of Haseo..."

The voice was finally acknowledged. All three of us turned towards Skeith, the speaker; his head was lowered, hair covering his eyes so that his mouth was only visible. His arms lay straight at his sides and his fists were loosely balled.

"And what if I don't? Why don't we take you in too?" The officer continued to make the situation and his image worse.

It was so disgusting...

So disgusting that we would hire such a man into the police force-

What kind of world-?

But I don't want...

No, I don't want...

Don't think...!

Because if I do...

_disa..._

Like last time-

He'll-

_**No!!**_

_Don't think of that...!_

_I don't want..._

_Anyone to -_

_**Disappear.**_

_- die...!!_

My eyes were slammed shut. Suddenly I felt the weight of the words; the same word that I had thought of before those murderers had died in such a gruesome way. It was then that I almost felt like my thoughts had the power to kill, and I felt more disgusted with myself than ever before. My head pounded. I felt dizzy. Strange flashing, magical sounds flowed into my ears and I was sure I was hallucinating. But the truth was...

I would have been lucky if I that was the case.

I felt the police officer's grip loosen on me. There was the sound of something colliding into something else and the sound of someone choking on something for a moment. I heard the younger police officer cry out. I opened my eyes and instantly felt as if my back was slightly wet; as if I had been standing behind a sprinkler that had only hit me once. I chill went up my spine. Slowly I turned around on one foot, and the entire world rushed at me. My jaw dropped. My arms fell, lifeless, down at my sides, and that nauseating feeling impacted me with such speed that I was surprised that I wasn't sick right then and there.

The younger police officer was now on the ground, crawling away backwards on his hands, tears streaming down his face in fear.

As for the older one...

He now lay on the ground, lifeless...

His murderer stood above him, weapon raised...

And that was the most disgusting part...

Skeith stood above him like a triumphant god, a sadistic expression of accomplishment across his face. In his hands tightly clasped was the shaft of an extremely long, unrealistic scythe; it's blade was composed of red and orange shimmering beams of light that looked like they were contained within glass vials. They were unattached to each other and hovered impossibly around where they should have been, unmoving as if they were held there by a magical force. They formed a blade sharper than anything else and were now painted more red than anything else; that deep crimson that pooled on the ground and from the officer's chest. That mystical, horrific air levitated around him, as suddenly rain drops began to slowly patter down; their tiny image shining like stars coming to the ground of a grey, dark world, painted with the red of...

The red of...

Red... of...!

Without holding back, without any restraint, I screamed. I ran towards Skeith and grabbed him by one of the belts on his back and threw him out of the way. His scythe never left his hands, but the silver-haired monster tumbled to the ground, landing on his back and striking hard. But it didn't seem to phase him; that wasn't the point. The point was...

"W-what did you just do?! You killed him!! You just killed him!!" I shouted out of fear and shock; out of the humanity that I still had left in me and out of the disbelief that something so childish as he would do something like that. "He's not coming back! He's _gone_! Gone forever!! What the hell were you thinking?! What in hell could you have possibly been thinking?!!" I choked up and panted, glaring down at the man that I realized I knew nothing about. The jeans that I had given him were painted with that same red. His face and hands were flecked with little tiny drops. He lifted himself up so that he was standing again, balancing the scythe in one hand, and coughed once from being thrown into the dust. As if it meant nothing to him, he looked up at me, sweetly smiling with those deep crimson, demonic eyes, more pleased than phased.

"He was going to take you away," he stated casually. "He was going to take you away forever, wasn't he? You were going to go to a bad place. Well, not anymore. See? There's no one here left to hurt you. Unless..." His glare reached down to the other police officer. The one that was still alive made small, pathetic noises, before forcing himself onto his feet and turning around. He ran down through the taped-off alley, screaming his head off in absolute terror.

"You can't!! You can't make those choices for people!! You can't just kill people!! You ca--" I stopped, realization finally hitting me. I felt even worse than before.

"I just did, so you can't really say I can't," he pointed out, gesturing over to the dead man on the street.

I didn't respond at first. I just stared, wide eyed, before I could force anything out of my mouth.

"S... Skeith... who... murdered... those men... last night?"

I remembered him checking my side and finding the bruise, and then getting worried. I remember immediately after he went for the men and then we didn't see each other again until he appeared at my house. I remembered he didn't try to do anything until he saw that those men hurt me.

Did that mean...

That Skeith...

"Oh, that was _me_. Didn't you know? They hurt you. I couldn't let them do that..." He spoke so casually. Life meant nothing to him.

... Skeith protected me.

... Skeith was protecting me using the most extreme measures possible.

... why...?

As the sun was shielded by a wall of cloud the dark night continued; that dark existence was only beginning, and I had yet to realize it was only going to get worse. I stood, stunned, in front of that silver-maned child, absolutely overtaken by the fear of what he really was. All he did was smile up towards me as if he had done a good deed, as those sparkling stars of magic, mixed with the crystal drops of rain, twinkled around his body and rolled down his cheeks which were dotted with the red blood.


	5. Chap4: Lost Cause

Authors Notes: _1021 hits when posting this. I'm definately feeling good about this now. Thank youuuuu! I can't express my love enough for you guys. You're all too kind!_

_I don't own a cellphone, so I don't know how sturdy the battery packs are attached to the things. So lets just pretend Haseo has a really crappy one, okay? Uh... yeah, and for some reason, at that point in the future, cellphone companies haven't figured out how to make good phones yet. Haseo got it at... the Dollar Store. Because we all know that soon enough, Dollar Stores really WILL sell cellphones. I saw pregnancy tests there the other day..._

_It's starting to become apparent that I like to write that Haseo knows nothing and everyone else can read his thoughts. I think. Haha. Not really, but... there sure are a lot of characters that seem to know way more than he does. Humm. Lot's of blood in this chapter; more than the previous chapters. Now the rating is starting to match and the story is starting to take it's true form. Truthfully I think the next chapter is the real turning point; this is sort of the filling part in the middle of the transition. Now finally I'm finishing the Beginning Arc and breaking into the second Arc, which I won't name yet because otherwise you'd already know who to suspect!_

_Next chapter contains action. Thank you again, and please stick with me!_

* * *

I really didn't know anything.

I didn't know anything... at all.

Everything was a blind blur to me. I ran without stopping; without thinking; without speaking. Tears streaked my face and I choked on them. They were the first tears I had cried since I was a child... the 'strong Haseo' never cried. But now this disturbing world that had been hidden at first came fully to me and it struck like the force of a storm. I kept running, my feet carrying me in any direction they wanted to. I ran past people on the streets, past cars, past buildings, past familiar places. Some people called out to me, but I didn't respond, stop, or slow down. I was running out of breath; I panted heavily, but that didn't stop me. I didn't care.

Those dark clouds that loomed above us in that second world we called the sky poured down buckets of tears. The relentless rain soaked through my uniform and hair, drenching my skin and making my tears indistinguishable. People were nothing but bodies that walked by me. I couldn't figure out the difference between things anymore. My mind was cluttered and a mess, full of thoughts and ideas.

It had finally struck me.

I was amongst a murderer.

His innocent face flashed in my mind. The many images of it; the many different versions of it. His curiosity, his awkward happiness at such normal things, his pouting when he didn't understand something, his honest fear when something absolutely normal happened...

And then the face that appeared when he killed. He _killed people_. And now it was three people; he murdered three people with a weapon that appeared from thin air, just like he did. It was disgusting... absolutely disgusting...

_Disappear._

The word that was almost like a silent signal for him to begin.

... why...?

Why... me...?

I couldn't stop. I kept going and going, not seeing anything but a blur of gray around me. I couldn't see the world anymore. Anguish built up inside of me, and for the first time, I let out an agonizing scream as my sense of safety broke down. And because I wasn't watching or slowing at all, suddenly my feet had left the ground and I was suspended in mid-air for only an instant, off of the side of a platform sidewalk that's fence was being fixed. I ran off the side without resistance and thinking, and now it was far too late to go back; I plummeted down through the air, shocked at how little I actually reacted.

The ground came so fast. That gray ground, coated in the cold rain from the heavens...

I struck it hard. Before everything went black, all I could feel or think or see was the ground, the grays, and the absolute horror that left my body in mind-numbing shock. I watched the grays slowly fade from my eyes just as two figures were running to my side; two human figures, their colours blurred in the rain. With that my eyes closed, and suddenly I was sleeping in a dream again.

A dream of white and red... and of a monster that appeared before me with a silver mane of hair. A dream that I was familiar with.

A dream that I had before.

* * *

A white world.

My eyes shot open the moment that I found I could open them. The white ceiling, white walls, white sheets and white clothes, with a red school uniform tossed to the side. The difference now was that there was no familiar face beside me, grinning and waiting to speak to me. There was no friend beside me to talk to me. There was no Kuhn this time; this time it was only me, and now was the time that I knew I needed someone the most. I panted slowly, closing my eyes once more. There were no noises but the silent beeping of machines. I was in no casts, which meant I was fine and that I lived – which was a miracle. I could barely remember those last few minutes. I could remember solid images of gray and loose pictures of people... and I could remember tumbling through the air and suddenly realizing that I was falling. The silence was almost too silent; it rang in my ears, taunting me, telling me that there was no one there but myself... which came with my fears and thoughts and terrible dreams. Terrible feelings and emotions... mixed things. The sort of thing that you could imagine people felt when they were just about to die, or when they had been responsible for the soon end-of-the-world. It was disgusting, sickening... nauseating. I turned my head sideways to look at my uniform. The back was facing the chair that it rested on... but I could still see the deep stains that it had taken. The deep stains of red...

My head ached. I tried to sit up, forcing myself whether my body wanted to or not. Suddenly I was struck by a sharp pain and I slammed myself back down, biting my lip to hold back tears. It wasn't just from the pain of throwing myself off of the side of a wall and striking the hard ground, but my mind was torn. I needed to talk to someone...

The closest person to me...

The person I could tell anything to...

I had to...

I reached my hand out towards the small side table beside the hospital bed. All of my belongings that had been in my pockets were scattered there, including my cellphone. I grabbed it and brought it towards me, flipping the cover and watching the screen and buttons light up to greet me. I quickly pressed speed-dial and the first number that was on the list. The phone automatically dialed it, and I placed the small device to my ear to listen to the repetitive ringing.

It rang...

And rang...

_Click._

"_H... Hello? I don't want to... b-buy anything today... so uh, please don't-_"

A voice like Kuhn's instantly rang through the other side.

I suddenly gasped for air, feeling the relief that I had reached him. He went silent at the gasp. It took a second, but before he could say anything else, I spoke first.

"K... Kuhn... I... I need..."

"_O-Oh, I-I'm sorry. Kuhn's not here right now. Can I... uh, take a message? I think that's what...?_"

"K-Kuhn. I can't... I don't need jokes right now. It's important-"

"_I'm really sorry! Kuhn's really not here._"

My heart tightened. That hope began to sink. Here I was, in contact with Kuhn during the time I needed him most... and he was... playing some game with me? Did he not want to talk to me? I knew Kuhn's voice. I knew it was him.

"Kuhn... stop playing around... it's serious!"

"_I told you, sir, Kuhn's not-_"

"That's your voice, Kuhn! I know it! Stop it!"

"_I'm--..._" Suddenly his voice stopped. He was at a lack of lies to make up. Or maybe it was just my mind making up ideas that he was lying, but I couldn't think of anything else; it was Kuhn. I knew him.

"... stop... stop it..."

"_Listen, uh, can I take a name? I ca--_"

By that point, I knew he wasn't going to give in from his little joke. I was surprised at how little he cared. Kuhn. That person who had cared most. My best friend; the person that was there for me, no matter what. And now he was sitting on the other end of my cellphone, making up excuses not to talk to me.

The phone slid from my hand and dropped on the floor. I had been silent for some time; I heard Kuhn's voice call out from the phone as it fell, before it struck the ground and the battery pack fell out.

The phone went dead, and I covered my face with my hands and curled up, unsure of what else I could do.

Kuhn...

What... should I do...?

But you don't...

... care... anymore.

"... Kuhn, you ass."

* * *

Doctor after doctor. For thirty straight minutes I had about three different doctors come in and run tests on me. All of them left dissatisfied. I guess it was something about the fact that I had been in the hospital twice in the past two days. They were obviously starting to get worried, especially with no answers. I heard some of them mumbling things, but the things that were said I couldn't make out. The checked my temperature, my heartbeat, all of my limbs, my reflexes, and they even tested me mentally a little. Of course I failed that test; I wasn't exactly on the best of mental tracks after everything that happened.

After the long line of white men in white coats, there was finally a change. The girl from the day before that was at the front desk came in, now in a nurse uniform. I hadn't known she was a doctor, but it was also true that I hadn't known her for very long. I watched her come in, feeling slightly more mentally stable, but certainly not better. No where near better.

"How are you feeling?" she asked first; a common first question. I shrugged slightly and adverted my eyes to the wall in front of me.

"A little better, I guess," I told her.

"Do you know what happened...?" she continued to question, sounding slightly nervous. She probably thought I had attempted suicide.

"I felt dizzy and I fell off the railing," I lied, afraid of the consequences of telling the true story.

"You have a lot of dizzy spells... we're worried, to tell you the truth..."

"Uhhn." I responded pathetically. She frowned.

"Aren't you in the least bit curious as to what could be wrong with you?" She looked concerned as I turned my head back to her.

"But there isn't anything you can do, right?"

"Well, that's true..."

"Are you here to do more tests?" I sounded bitter. I didn't really want to go through anymore.

"Actually, I was wondering if you're feeling well enough to walk around. Some exercise might be good for you. And there was someone who wanted to talk to you... the person that brought you here."

"Oh. Where are they?"

I was given directions. The room that they were in was a couple hallways away. Wanting to do anything but what I was doing now, I forced my aching body up and left the room with her permission, giving her a quick farewell and heading on my way. I was curious as to who had brought me... and I needed something to get my mind of things. Off of Kuhn. Off of... Skeith.

I walked through the white hallways for a minute or so, until I came to a fork in the road. I looked to the two paths; left and right. The right path was another normal hallway. The left path was a hallway for a couple feet, and then a glass, sliding door, different from the rest. The world beyond it was different from the rest of the hospital, too; it looked dark and gray, as if the lights were barely giving off a glow. Light from the dreary clouds shone in from a row of windows that completely replaced the wall on the other side of that sliding door. That was the only light there was, but because it was so dark it really left that hallway to look rather depressing.

And among all of it, standing in front of the windows, was a boy with one hand pressed against the glass.

I couldn't remember which way I was supposed to go, so instead I turned to the glass doors and approached them. They opened automatically. As they opened, the smell of hospital washed away from me and I was swarmed by what smelled like pure, clean air; almost too clean. The smell of a light medicine wafted through it. The doors made a shifting noise and just as they did, the boy turned to me, not moving his hand. I stopped and held my breath, startled by how much noise the door made.

"... Hi. I'm lost."

The boy looked at me with a rather worn face. He looked like he was sad all of the time; his eyes were a soft blue, and his hair was a very dark gray, almost black. It was short and somewhat fluffy, ending just by his shoulders. He was skinny and small and fairly feminine; he was the kind of boy that you could see other boys trying to 'pick up'. He wore all white, though it was a different outfit from mine. While mine looked very temporary, his looked like something more permanent.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice hollow and radiating that depression that I had already sensed from him.

I felt awkward around him. I continued to stand in the automatic door's pathway. "I've been here for two days in a row now. I'm looking for room 102..." I explained, rubbing the back of my head. "But I got a little lost."

"You look like you're holding a lot in..." he stated. I paused and then dropped my arm, giving him another look. I had at least felt like I was doing a decent job of hiding how I actually felt, but this boy seemed to be all to familiar with the feelings.

"... yeah. I am," I replied. For some reason I felt like telling him that.

"Why...?" he asked me, that sweet, feminine voice echoing off of the empty, dark hallway.

"... a lot of things."

"Personal... things?"

"Yeah..." I started, looking down. But he only nodded.

"I understand."

I looked back up to him and forced a smile. He didn't even try to force one. Feeling awkward again under the deep feelings that surrounded him, I looked for something to distract myself with. "So... uh... what is this place?"

He looked away, back out of the window. "This is the place where they keep those who are hopeless."

"'Hopeless'...?"

"People who they can't save anymore... people who they don't know what to do with anymore. People who have gone past the breaking point..."

"... oh." Was it an asylum? But the boy didn't seem crazy... though there certainly was something about him. I felt like I had struck something personal. "Sorry."

"... are you coming back to this hospital?"

"Probably," I told him truthfully. "Nobody knows what I have. I'll probably keep coming back until I die, or whatever this thing I have dies."

"Is it another _you_?"

Our eyes met. I felt as if he knew what I was going through that moment. I wasn't sure how he knew...

"How do you..."

"Because that is the reason why I'm here..." For the first time since our meeting, he smiled. It was an extremely sad smile that hurt just to look at. He gazed longingly out the window as if wishing for something that didn't exist anymore. "Because there's another me out there."

I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly, a doctor came up behind me and pulled me away. He asked what I was doing and said that the area was restricted. I was still stunned, but before I could open by mouth, the boy covered for me.

"He was asking directions. He was lost," he told the doctor, and the doctor looked to the boy and nodded. Then the doctor walked away a little bit and expected me to follow. Before I was going to be an obedient little dog, I turned to the boy and stated a single word; one without explaination. But it didn't matter... because I knew he'd understand.

"Haseo," I told him. He looked confused, but then smiled the best he could again – which was still extremely sad. The doctor came towards me and grabbed my arm, telling me to hurry off and that he'd show me where I was going. Just as I started to turn away and just as the doors began to close, I heard the boy speak as well.

"Endrance."

I had a feeling that was the first bit of kindness – just that simple exchange of names – that he had received in a long time, and I felt rather good about myself in giving it to him... enough to take away even a fraction of the fear that completely encompassed my heart.

* * *

The doctor left me in front of the room; room 102. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it wasn't Kuhn... that was all I knew. I hadn't asked the female nurse the name of the person... so I was really just running off of nothing. I knocked on the door, and there was a startled 'it's open' reply by a very familiar voice...

I opened the door and walked into the small, white room. Just as the voice had told me by the way it sounded, Silabus sat there on a chair beside the bed in the room, facing the door now. He smiled slightly.

"Haseo, you're awake now! I'm glad..." he told me, but something in his voice told me that he was in pain. I frowned. I didn't need to look at the person in the bed to know who it was; I instantly guessed, and guessed right. Either way, I walked over and got a good look at them. The older boy who was in his twenties had matching features to Silabus, but he looked slightly different – different hair, different face... but still the same features.

"Your brother," I stated quietly. He just nodded.

"Mmm."

"... you could have told me, you know," I told him, but I knew why he hadn't said it; it hurt to much then.

"Well, I knew you'd find out... so... I just didn't really feel like talking about that specifically..."

I looked down at his brother's face. It was as if he was sleeping... he didn't move at all. But I knew if I tapped him or shook him, he wouldn't wake up. I wanted to ask 'what's wrong with him?' but I knew that already. No, I didn't know the cause... I knew what had happened.

The truth was...

... the reason why Silabus had been so quiet when we were talking about the person who had fallen into a coma during work... the person from 'G.U.'... the person all over the news, who was followed by another, who collapsed and hasn't woken up... was this man. Silabus' brother.

Silabus' brother collapsed at work and hasn't woken up. And now he slept here, sort of like how I probably did yesterday, when Kuhn was by my side.

... that's right.

"Hey, Silabus..."

"Yes, Haseo?"

"Have you... heard from Kuhn this afternoon?"

"Oh... I'm afraid not. He told me that he wasn't feeling well, so he went home."

"So he's home."

"Probably... why?"

"... no reason."

* * *

We talked for a while. About a lot of things. I didn't touch on the subject of Skeith, no matter how much I had to get it off my chest. I didn't bring up Kuhn, either; I wasn't exactly the happiest with him. Silabus told me a lot about what had happened; his father came home later than usual and told himself and his mother that he was at the hospital with his brother. His brother had collapsed at work, but his boss was refusing to let out any information as to what was going on at the time. The company itself – G.U., as it was called – was actually going through a lot of trouble with the police because of it. After the whole talk, Silabus actually looked quite relieved; it seemed I had helped more than one person in the last half hour.

Then came the topic about me. What was wrong with me, why was I sick.

I told him I didn't know... because I really didn't. Though this time I wasn't sick, I was unsure about yesterday. I was sick with something yesterday...

I told Silabus about the man on the bus as well. Neither of us knew who he was. All I knew was that he was an older man that knew things about me. It was kind of scary in a stalker-like way. There wasn't much we could do, though, but ask him if we ever saw him. Oh, and call the cops if he really was stalking me.

The entire conversation... the entire act of letting little bits and pieces of my past couple days out to another person... it was like all the weight fell off my shoulders. I felt relieved, calmed, and even somewhat stable again; and Silabus smiled at that. He knew it, too. We had both come feel better after the whole thing. I couldn't say that he was smiling, though. His smiles were broken and forced, his expression worn and tired. He held onto a grin because he didn't want to worry me.

We started to pass the time the way teenagers should. We talked, laughed, joked... anything and everything to distract ourselves. Soon, hours had gone by without either of us realizing it. Evening was beginning to fall. Silabus received a phone call from his parents and he had to head on home. I was called back by the doctors to get a few more tests done. Reluctantly I agreed, and me and Silabus parted ways. The doctors were cold and silent, speaking only to ask me 'does this hurt?' or 'how do you feel about this?'. Disgusting, really... I craved Silabus' company once more.

That wasn't the real reason why I needed Silabus with me, though, was it? No, the truth was that I just wanted someone – anyone that I trusted – with me here and now... Silabus, Gaspard, even that girl 'Atoli'... or Kuhn. My heart was still a mess, and my mind was in pieces. Now, with no one else there... I fell back to the thoughts of 'Skeith'.

That silver-struck being who landed from nowhere.

That idiot that made all the mistakes that a two year-old would have already learned better than.

That murderer.

The doctors let me go.

Come to think of it, the last time I saw Skeith...

I had left him behind to fend for himself, alone in the city. He probably already killed that other police officer. Or maybe it was more appropriate to say I left the world to fend for itself against his terror. I walked down the hallways of the hospital, finally being let out. The doctors suggested that I phone my parents, but I told them I'd just head home. I'd be alright.

The truth was...

I had left him... and now... he roamed free.

My original image of him was shattered. I could see him doing nothing but evil. A knot tied itself in my stomach. Nothing was holding him back now. Might he have listened to me if I asked him to do something? The chances were slim. But now... now...

If I didn't find him, would he just...?

"Huh? That's strange. My computer isn't working...?"

"H-hey, my cellphone turned off."

"There went mine too..."

"What kind of crap is this?"

Suddenly, as I took a step into the lobby, voices filled my ears. I flinched, bringing a hand to clutch at my opposite arm, holding onto the cloth of my school uniform that I had changed back into. The bright light and sudden voices momentarily shocked me. I looked around, listening to the conversations. Had everyone's technology... gone dead? I reached into my pocket, pulling out the cellphone that I had dropped onto the floor. It didn't matter; the battery had died now. I had no choice but to believe what everyone stated over and over again, each person at a different moment.

The voices increased. More and more people began to comment. My mind was drawn away from original thoughts and I studied my surroundings, now paused in the hospital lobby. Everyone had the same, universal thought; their technology had suddenly stopped working. Strange, wasn't it? No, not just cellphones and computers, but watches, mp3 players... everything. It was sort of a strange, illogical scene. The confused voices of the residents of the hospital gradually grew louder and louder with the rising anger from them; but who wouldn't be? I took a few steps forwards, trying to ignore it... no, forcing myself to ignore it.

There was something wrong with this world...

Something _dreadfully_ wrong.

Everything that had happened... everything... was illogical, impossible, strange, and psychotic. Everything that had happened in the past few days made no sense, and things were plunging further and further into a nonsensical world.

A distant voice – loud and shrill –

"... u... uh... eee... ahh... EEIIIAAHHHH!!!"

– was suddenly heard by all.

Instinct is what drew me to act. After everything that had happened recently I felt compelled to discover the reason behind the scream. I turned sharply and darted towards the sound, which came from one of the hallways in the hospital. A few other people had followed suit as well, either from curiosity or bravery. It was a short run, as our destination wasn't far away, but the moment some stepped onto the scene... some turned back in horror, some fell to the ground, and some were frozen in utter, disgusted shock.

I was one of the third case.

"N... no..." I murmured.

It couldn't have been... it could not have been... there was no way...!

A nurse had fainted on the ground to the right side of the hallway in front of us. Two doctors were there, too; one stood, his mouth covered as he leaned against the wall, gasping for breath he couldn't find. The other was screaming and shouting orders, holding up the _body_ that was lying on the floor just moments earlier. His outfit was stained red, red, red... the white was splattered by the terrible colour, and the scent of blood filled the air. The body was torn at the stomach and appeared to be just a normal male. A puddle formed where he once lay, and an artistic, splattered pattern adorned the left wall. This was no death from sickness; this was an attack. A murder with a sharp weapon of some sort. A deep cut that was so harsh that it probably instantaneously killed.

The same cut that probably killed the four other dead people that lined the floor of the hallway beyond the doctor, all looking in a similar state to the one that was held to his lap.

Five people. Five people all stabbed, sliced, torn through...

_Murdered in the hospital hallway._

I covered my mouth, feeling the little bit of food I had eaten today wanting to come back up.

"He didn't..."

But who else could it have been? Was it really -

"It couldn't be..."

I stumbled slightly, my feet letting me fall sideways so that my shoulder struck the right wall. I was in a state much like the first doctor who wasn't down with one of the victims, allowing the wall to be my only support. I turned to lean on my back, but my eyes caught onto the left wall. At first I was fixed on the splatter, like an artists attempt to create a picture through throwing his tools to his canvas. But my pupils trailed up the once white walls and followed more dots, which soon formed lines and coherent_ Japanese _words. All written in that horrid red were actual words that someone had taken the time to form. I committed them to memory.

Those words...

_'they stepped out of line_

_and added to the disgust of this world'_

Were not...

'Disappear'.

And for some reason, just seeing that alone made my heart believe that this was not Skeith's doing. For he had no reasoning... no motive... Though my heart fell to this twisted idea my mind did not, and I could only imagine the possibility that it was that silver monster that had broken in to continue his reign of terrorist death. I could only imagine an image of him with a goal so murderous that he intended to paint the entire night sky from black to red.

But why... why...

Did my heart not believe that Skeith was to blame?


	6. Chap5: Shattering Glass

Authors Notes: _Time to actually make stuff happen. This fanfic has actually been running very slowly, I feel. Well, things should pick up from here. Sorry for the wait!_

_This is actually the last of the pre-written chapters. To those who were wondering why it took me so long to get pre-written ones up, in between I was writing to the later chapters, plus I had to finish the editing for these chapters and I never feel very inspired to edit because it takes so long (I read it over twice, personally). But now the chapters will be posted when they're done and edited, since there's no longer anymore already written ones. Updating may be a bit slower because I'm pretty busy often (at the end of the month I may even be gone for a whole week to stay at my love's house, and there's no way I'll get any time for this there). Chapter six is probably about a third written right now... but don't expect it to pop up immediately. Honestly, I don't know how long it will on average for updates._

_Thanks so much for sticking with me. Your reviews and the hit count to this fanfic really keep me going on even with my affair with Code Geass going on. I love you guys!_

* * *

_'they stepped out of line_

_and added to the disgust of this world'_

I had avoided the police's questioning. I escaped the hospital before they arrived so that I wouldn't be interrogated as a witness; I had no taste for police at the moment. Everything that I had seen everyone else at the scene had noticed anyway, so it's not like I had information exclusive to myself. I only had one clue closer than the average person and I wasn't going to disclose that clue to just anyone.

Skeith.

But it was in his nature to do things for me, and it seemed he didn't act unless it _was_ for me. I didn't know who those five men were that lay dead now. I never thought any of that phrase, and the last time Skeith made an artistic painting of words with his work was the direct word that I thought – 'disappear', which in itself felt like a curse now. But... could it be anyone else? How could it be anyone else? There was no way there was someone just as sick as him out there.

But if he appeared to me... who was to say someone else did not have another 'Skeith' appear to them...?

Still, my mind denied any chance of the murderer being anyone else. I'd seen enough in the past few days. It would take heavy, solid proof to make me think that it was someone other than that terror. But now was not the time for small thoughts...

I had to act. I had to find him. Skeith, who was now free on the town, could have been anywhere... doing anything. It was my duty to find him again. And though I didn't know what I would do once I did find him, I couldn't let that stop me.

The dark, clouded sky had gone away, replaced with one that was slightly dotted with clouds. A bright facade to the real core of this world.

I needed to stop him. Now.

* * *

I checked the alleyway, which was now swarmed by more police cars. There was no sign of him; there was just the grim feeling of death in the air and depressed people caught on a mystery they couldn't figure out. I traced my steps from the first night where I met him. Down the path where the men had chased me, along the road home... nothing. I stepped inside my house to an empty greeting, as mom and dad were still at work... and Skeith was not there. I walked the path to my bus stop, and then along the path to the city bus that I had taken him on when we went to see the alleyway earlier on today... but there were no clues. There was nothing but the constant setting sun ahead of me, which now expressed itself in the sky as to be about 6 o'clock in the evening. I hadn't eaten supper. Frankly, I didn't care.

All the pathways I chose were only filled with regular people. There wasn't a spec of suspicious wanderers or a single mysterious person. No one I really recognized, either... just blank faces that paid me no mind. I was a wreak and I knew that; my hair by now was a mess and I was panting, still tired from the several fainting spells I had been having. My mind felt like it was going to collapse, but I forced myself to retain the will to go on. I held back calls of his name; he wouldn't just come running to something as simple as that! And to call out would be to leave the option of others hearing... and then they might get involved, and then killed. I began exploring streets that Skeith had never even been near, and soon streets that I had never touched once in my life. It didn't take long for me to get lost in the maze of my own home. I knew that if I tried I could find home easily again. But I kept going... I kept pushing...

I was going to go until I couldn't go anymore.

Exhaustion began to get the better of me. I was tired... extremely tired. Taking note of this, I finally decided to gather back what was left of my sanity and take a break. I stopped at the first bench I could find and collapsed down onto it. Sunset painted the wood a glow of orange. Behind me was the silent waves of a public fountain, spouting water constantly in a rain of cold. A few droplets flew from their original destination and gently dotted me. I slouched on the back of the seat, turning my head to the sky and taking in deep breaths. The serenity of that moment... the momentary calm that I had obtained... I closed my eyes, shutting out the golden sky and the distant world.

I reviewed my situation in the dark world beneath my eyelids.

I was in an unknown part of the city and my cell phone was dead. My parents didn't know anything was wrong, my friend's brother was in a coma, my best friend didn't want to see me, and I was looking for a murderer. Put all together like that.. I finally acknowledged that I was probably crazy, hallucinating this entire ordeal.

Dear god, I wished.

"Taking a bit of a break, are we?"

An unfamiliar, cat-like female voice called out to me, bringing me back to the real world. I shot up, straightening myself on the bench and quickly opening my eyes. Four feet in front of me stood a woman I didn't know; I hadn't seen her even once before. Something about her felt familiar... but I couldn't place a finger on it. No, she looked absolutely bizarre...

"Do I... know you?" I asked, almost sounding a bit too cocky. She just looked so suspicious that I couldn't act normal.

She was older than me, with short, crimson red hair and piercing eyes. She watched me like a hawk or a wolf studying it's prey; her entire nature was very animal-esque, leaning very closely towards a hunter. But she greeted me with a twisted, almost too-happy smile. Tanned skin... everywhere. In fact, she was dressed extremely indecently! There was more bare skin than clothing, and I felt like I was being a pervert by just glancing in her direction. Her clothes were dark, barely covering her chest and her underwear was quite exposed – or at least that's what it looked like. Metal boots ran up her legs. Was she... a hooker? I couldn't tell. And it felt too early for someone like that too be out...

But if she was... was a hooker trying to get me interested?!

Did she think I was looking for... her... services...?!

I gulped down unnecessary air as the thought rushed through my head, and while I was _not _interested, disturbing thoughts couldn't help but dance in my mind.

"Don't know me? My, my, my, Haseooo! How," she took a step forwards, coming close to me, and I felt uncomfortable, "could," my expression changed from flustered to somewhat defensive, though I tried to hold the slightest bit of hospitality, "you," she continued as she now stood a mere foot away, waving a hand in the air, "not?"

"Enlighten me." The comment was almost sarcastic and probably harsh, but I honestly didn't know who she was... yet she knew me. Frankly, I was tired of all of this kind of crap.

She smirked down at me, reaching a hand out and touching the side of my face. Instantly I realized something was wrong, and if she was just trying to pick me up she was being rather creepy about it. I shot my hand up and put it between hers and my face, my expression darkening with each moment.

"Tsk, tsk, moody, moody," she chanted, pulling her hand back. Her eyes didn't leave me for a second, and I was the same towards her. "Well, let me see... my name is Bordeaux. Good enough for you?"

Bordeaux...?

"I.. don't know anyone by that name." That was the honest truth. It didn't ring any bells in the slightest.

"Oh, is that so?" She grinned more, running a hand through her hair. "Maybe that's because you met me when I was _whole_. Hmm, that makes sense, doesn't it?"

"What? ... that doesn't make any sense! Are you a lunatic?!" So much for hooker.

Her hand slid behind her back, out of sight. I watched her arm nervously for a bare second, before shooting my gaze back to her eyes. She just continued to grin and smirk at me.

"Ohh, the little genius seems a little unsure of himself. Need I remind you of your sin?"

"My... sin?"

My... sin...

_Disappear._

Was that my... sin?

"Yes... your _sin_. The life you took away from someone," so then she must have been talking about 'disap-', "without even realizing it. The life you took because they could not attain the level that you were at, because you were the utter highest. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it." She sneered, almost gagging on the words, but I could tell it was part of the act.

But I didn't understand anymore. I hadn't the sweetest clue what she was referring too.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to call the cops," I told her bluntly and as calmly as I could, but I could sense my anger bubbling up. I took out the cellphone – which I knew was dead, but she didn't, so what did it matter? - and held it close to my face threatening. She just continued to smirk.

"Then let me get straight to the point..."

She moved her hand away from behind her back and pointed it towards me.

I froze. I couldn't move. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped, and I felt like that nightmare I was living in was only worsening. Her eyes darkened and her entire aura became heavy.

"You stole away the chance of my other half – the person who makes me whole. And darling, I believe that gives me enough reason to 'meet' with you. The truth is..."

Held out in her hand was a dagger – a short sword – a small, bladed weapon...

Pointed towards me, as she stood in a battle ready pose, her other hand revealing a second, identical weapon.

"Since the moment I heard about you I've been _dying to __**kill**__ you_!"

She pushed off on her feet towards me, making a leaping attack. I didn't know how to react – how could I react?! No, I stood there in dumb shock, unable to move a finger. I stayed on the bench like a sitting duck, jaw dropped. For a brief moment I thought 'this is it, the end...'...

But I had forgotten that I, too, was protected.

I slammed my eyes shut, and it seemed the moment I did that she let out a startled, angry cry. There was the clash of metal on metal and the sound of moving bodies, and the swishing of hair in the breeze with the tap of feet on the ground. She cried something out in frustration, but I wasn't paying attention. The reply she received... it was... the only thing it could be...!

"If you intend on picking off _my other half_, I think you should re-think your goal!"

That voice...

It was...!

I opened my eyes, and silver hair flashed before them, standing a few meters away. The black clad clothing – the original outfit he had worn – adorned him once more. Bordeaux, that woman, stood even further, sneering at the new male who had come into play. His smile was as twisted as ever, and in his hand that digitized scythe hung loosely, held so softly that it could almost be believed that it's weight was nothing at all.

This man...

_**Skeith**_.

Skeith had come to my rescue once more.

That terror... that monster... was here for me...?

What could I do...?! What should I do...?! To support him... he'd kill her, certainly! But...

There was no good way out of this!!

Instead, all I could do was mutter and watch the events that played in front of me... I was useless. I could not move, nor act. What happened here is what happened here, and I was helpless in front of the extending scene.

"Sk... Skei...th..."

His psychotic grin widened. He turned around for just a moment, flashing me a sincere smile; that childish smile that he held, even in his darkest moments. "Don't worry, Haseo, I won't let anything happen to you. You're the most precious to me. You are me! So I won't ever... ever..." His expression fell from sweet to murderous, "let anyone touch you... or harm you... ever again!!"

He whirled back around, and it began.

"Don't get in my way!!" Bordeaux screamed at Skeith, but the Terror wasn't phased. "That man ruined my other half's life... it's only right that he trades his own in!"

"But he is my half. I won't let any harm come to him... so you'll have to go through me first."

"Then I will!!" She snarled and posed for an attack. "I haven't lost a single fight against any other Avatar... so unless you've got a _Fragment of Morgana_ to pull out of your ass, you're mine!!!"

Fragment... of Morgana?

"You'd be surprised..." He hissed quietly, bringing the hand that possessed the scythe back so that the blade hung behind him, ready for battle.

Both of them kicked off, launching their bodies towards each other. Bordeaux let out a battle cry, but Skeith was silent. They both collided in a predicted point in the middle of the air, blades and scythe smashing into each other with a bright show of blue and green specs. As they leaped, white, blue, and green lights trailed their feet, like they were beings from another plane, down here to try and remove what they deemed evil. The sparkles and glow emanated all around them and their battle looked holy... but the true nature was far from that.

Skeith kept both of her blades locked on the shaft of his scythe, skillfully balancing them so that they didn't have the chance to budge. Bordeaux fought with all her strength to free them from this lock, but it seemed to no avail; before she could, the silver Terror lifted his feet from their original hovering position and drove them into her stomach, kicking her back and him further up. It was a boost into the air that allowed him to poise for a downward strike, and Bordeaux was left in shock for a mere second, but not enough to allow Skeith the chance for a perfect hit. He flew down with great speed, but she matched his speed, going down as well, and when she came to the ground she kicked off and flew into the opposite direction. Sparks flew as Skeith's original attack hit the ground beneath him, but in a millisecond he whirled back up launching himself in the same direction as his prey.

Their weapons collided thrice, and both were fighting to gain some sort of advantage on the other. Bordeaux received the first opening; as Skeith was distracted with blocking one of her blades, she thrust the other one towards his chest. He skillfully leaned to the side, but it still caught on his shoulder and slit his bare skin. It was a minor cut for him, but to anyone else it would have been immensely painful. She seemed to gloat over this victory and let out a laugh, but Skeith retaliated and broke his scythe free from it's previous distraction and swung it at her chest, repeating the gesture she had attempted. She moved back as much and as quickly as she could with the short time she was given, but it still grazed her stomach and chest, leaving a similar wound to the one that she inflicted; only longer. She reeled back, letting out a horrified scream at the fact that she, too, had been struck. It seemed like a new concept to her... like she had never lost before.

Both hovered in the air, now about a meter apart. Skeith watched her expectantly. She looked down, hair covering her face and one arm around her wound. Skeith payed no mind to the trail of crimson down his own arm.

"You..." she started, her shoulders twitching.

"Ready? You haven't been serious at all," Skeith responded in a cocky manner. She jolted at the statement and her smile was quickly shifting into barred teeth.

"You...!"

I thought for a moment that I saw a flash of light that filled my senses completely... but it was gone as quick as it came.

"I'll..."

She shot her head up.

Her expression was nothing like anything I'd seen before. Eyes wide, smile breaking from ear to ear with teeth as vicious as an animal, and the start of lines of exhaustion beneath her eyes. It was like standing before a mad man, but I knew it was not her but I that was mad for even being able to witness this scene.

"I'll..."

Another flash.

"I'll... _**remove your existence**_!!!!"

Suddenly, the world began to shatter around her. The sky and ground was lifted up in squares as if it was glass being broken into a million shards. It spread and stretched all around, reaching both Skeith and myself, and then a shimmering white barrier appeared behind me. I jolted from my seat and turned around, watching the world break underneath my feet and replace itself with the same world but coloured in dark blue, black, dark purple, and deep crimson, broken at some places. Coloured shards danced through the air, concentrated around Bordeaux. A wind of power whisked around her, tangling her already short hair. Her eyes were closed as she bathed in that power. Skeith remained in his own spot, unmoving.

A noise – the sound of a tuning fork, the one that I had heard during Skeith's 'birth' – exploded in my ears.

The entire world had shifted in front of my eyes. I was frozen in fear, unable to take my eyes off the two of them. I was trapped in this newly created dark world that was surrounded by a glowing white circular barrier that had an approximate 20 meter radius. I was trapped, unable to act, waiting for the finale of whatever this was.

I was terrified... because I had stepped into a world that should not have existed. The facts expressed themselves here and now, but I could not believe this was actually happening.

The wind of power ceased itself and vanished. Bordeaux dropped her head at it's absence at first, but now she seemed to glow with a pure black aura, like someone had taken a paint brush and painted solid darkness right around the edges of her figure. It drifted off in some spots forming perfect circles, and some swallowed up parts of her body; spots on her arms and legs, and a few on her face.

Skeith didn't move. He stayed in his position, watching her with a solid, serious expression on his face. He knew exactly what was going on, while I was clueless.

Her eyes shot open. They had diluted into a maddening version of their old selves. She seemed drowned in this 'power'... whatever this was. Her entire self seemed darker... different. And much more prepared.

"So this is your 'power'..." Skeith stated, seemingly in a mocking awe. She just grinned.

"Why not express yours? I'm dying to know what you're like..." She cooed, unaffected by his sarcasm. He shrugged.

"I wouldn't waste it on you," he simply stated, and she just growled again, tired of his cockiness.

"I'll make you regret that cool attitude, you bastard!" She extended her arms, still wielding her blades, but it was with more assurance. The blades looked darker, also outlined with that black aura. "I'll kill you!!"

She pushed off, launching herself using the ground just like they had been doing before. Her speed was inhuman, and the black dots trailed behind her, leaving a path in their wake that vanished within a few seconds of being there. She pulled a blade back and then brought it forward, and as she enclosed the space between her and Skeith, she aimed for a direct strike at his face.

Skeith thought of this as nothing. He simply ducked down and she missed his head completely. Her face caught with shock as he rammed his entire body into her stomach from his crouched position. Even in her enhanced state she was thrown back, doubled over Skeith. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her down feet away from him, digging claws that I hadn't noticed before into her sides and drawing blood in several places, neatly aligned, before letting go and letting her fall limp to the ground of her own world. She tumbled and ended up landing crouched on her feet. She screamed in anger and thrust herself up and forwards again, blinding using her strength now. Her blades flashed in the light, cutting through the air over and over again. Skeith flipped his scythe outwards in an instant, blocking every strike with little effort along the shaft. She just constantly let out screams and cries as she furiously struck again and again, relentless in her efforts. But to no avail – Skeith blocked every single one of them. She tried to attack from the side, the front, up and down... but he caught them all. He fought with the speed, strength, and accuracy of God himself.

Her attempts were all futile. She stumbled back a few steps, panting and wailing in an angry, psychotic, raised voice.

"W-why?! How can you?! Why the hell are you so damn perfect, you mutt?!!" She ran forwards and tried to strike him from the side, but that was useless as well; he turned, exposing his back, but held the scythe behind him as well, catching the attack and showing off at the same time. His smirk couldn't have been wider, and a tiny fang exposed itself from his top lip of the slightly open grin.

Within a flash, he whipped around so that he was facing her, and he swung the scythe horizontally. It caught her side and her face contorted for just a mere moment before she was caught by the sideways motion of the blade digging into her upper leg. It didn't go right through but it dug quite deep. Skeith continued it's path and she was discarded to the side, loosing her connection with the scythe to fly meters away from it into a helpless heap. Now red specks flew in the air with the black dots and the white sparkles of light. She collided with the ground pathetically and crumpled, letting out a cry at the pain. This had been her first taste of defeat; she wasn't used to such a thing. The white lines from the barrier that surrounded the area began to fade and fall apart, and the ground began to glitch and contort, returning to it's old state. The black dots faded away with the glitches in the air and soon we were back to the water fountain and the park bench as if we hadn't left at all. There was no sign of battle anywhere except for the bleeding Bordeaux, clutching her deep wound and twisting and turning on the ground and trying - oh, trying _so_ hard - to get up, but the shock of pain and her now disabled leg forbid her to do so.

She had lost. It was as simple as that; Skeith had come out victorious.

There was silence. None of us moved from our spots, though Bordeaux was now forbidden from such.

Skeith was the first to move. After a few moments of pure silence, he slowly stepped towards his opponent, who was already crippled and down. She couldn't fight anymore; that was it for her. He silently strolled towards her, holding the scythe still in his hand.

Why didn't he retract it? He didn't need it anymore.

He'd only need it...

No...

Wait---!!

"Skeith!!!" I screamed out, only lifting one single foot and taking one single step forwards. "Don't take another step!!!"

Skeith didn't stop. He kept walking towards her, stopping directly above her as she cringed on the ground, seemingly unaware of her situation.

"I-I'll... I'll get you... b-both of you...! She won't... suffer any more!! Nina won't... Nina won't...!"

"Shh. You're lost now." Skeith spoke down to her, raising the scythe.

I knew, then and there, what was going to take place.

"S-stop!! Skeith, don't!!!" I cried out helplessly, instantly taking off into a run to try and prevent the inevitable. But I was too far away – deep down, I knew I could never reach them in time. I just kept calling out as my voice cracked, trying to reach to him.

I don't want anyone else to die!!

I don't want anyone to actually die!! I don't care if they're punished for what they've done, once they die... there's no second chance!!

"Dear god, Skeith!!!" I screamed out, but I felt like it was the last thing I could cry out pathetically, before I saw that neutral, serious expression on his face and his arm move downwards. That moment I felt the tears of of fear and tasted the disgust of absolute disapproval and everything moved in slow motion. My feet struck the ground slowly and my mouth opened slowly and my body moved forwards slowly... but Skeith's arm moved all to quickly.

It all happened in a bare moment, and her scream lasted a near three seconds before it was completely cut off.

"_**STOP IT, SKEITH!!!**_"

_Ka-ching._

_Thud._

The scythe's blade was brought down on her chest, and while the normal person would take a fatal cut, instead the wound created that same broken glass effect that the ground and air had had before... except on her. I thought I saw her face for a moment – eyes wide, mouth open, and tears in the corners of her eyes – but it all happened so quickly. Soon she was engulfed in yellow-white light and black dots danced upwards from her, popping like bubbles to a needle. As the light took over her she began to fade away, from the feet up, and her disturbed expression changed for a mere moment to what looked like the tiniest smile.

"W-wha... Ni... na...?" I heard her say quietly, but I was sure she was hallucinating. "No... n... o... you're not... Nina... you're..."

I continued to run, and barely heard her finished sentence... but even so, the name meant nothing to me, and I forgot it quickly.

"A... u... r... a..."

The white light crept up her shoulders, took over her face, and she vanished with no trace left except the faint, white trails of light floating above where she had been, disappearing into the air.

That woman, who I had barely known...

That woman, who had threatened me the moment we met...

That woman, who was a living, breathing life form...

Dead.

Gone.

Forever.

I don't really know how I had the mind to stay silent, but there was an awkward pause between Skeith and I. I didn't look at him, but I knew he was looking at me with that childish expression of curiosity, waiting for some sort of praise for what he had done. Praise was the last thing on my mind. Tons and tons of emotions bubbled up and twisted inside of me and I couldn't determine which one would emerge victorious above the others. I didn't understand anything... anything about Skeith, anything about these other beings, anything about their motives or why they were here... Plus, the fact that Bordeaux thought that I was the one with sin. What if I needed to redeem myself of something? What if I should have been the one dead...?!

"Haseo?"

I balled a fist.

"Haseo, she's gone now. Don't worry."

The edges of my mouth twitched and all I could see were the strands of my black hair covering my face.

"... Haseo? Why do you look like that? Come on, let's go back to your house and have some of that ice cream!"

I shot my head towards him, an unbelievable expression crossing my face. I glared with my bottom lip trembling, unable to express exactly what I had wanted to. He looked shocked at the expression first, and cocked his head to the side, dropping his smile to a neutral one.

"Hase-"

"You had no right!! What the hell gave you the idea that you have the right to just take peoples lives?!" I exploded, waving my arms out away from me in my anger. I screamed as loud as I could, trying to push my point across to him, but I felt it was useless.

"She was going to kill you, ri-"

"But you had her!! You had her down, unable to fight back!! We could have left it at that! You beat her, Skeith!! And then-- and then-- you had to take it as far as you could!! You could have stopped!! She wouldn't have done anything after that!!"

Everything felt like a blur. I shouted the first things that came to my mind.

"Has--" I had never seen him like this before, but he actually looked like he was frowning.

"No! **No!** Not just her! Bordeaux, and that officer, and those two thieves, too!! All of them!! They're all gone at your hand, and they're not coming back!!"

He was silent as I screamed and ranted, cracking up at the memories. The images of all of their bodies flooded my mind in flashes. I said anything and everything that I had held in for so long, hoping that something would at least get through to him.

"Then... what should I-"

He stopped, wide eyed at myself. My own face was contorted in extreme anger and pain, and I felt the trails of water that danced down my face. My fingers dug into my palm, leaving deep marks. My shoulders shook and I couldn't take my piercing gaze off of him, who had been reduced to the mind of a child.

I slammed my eyes shut... and the words came to me, all on my own.

"D... d..."

I couldn't stop. I had gone this far.

"You... you should..."

Something conflicted with me, deep in my heart, but I just couldn't hold back after this much.

"Maybe you should be the one to _disappear_!!"

I shook my head drastically.

"D-disappear! Just go!! Go on!! Disappear! Disappear, disappear, disappear...!!"

I cracked. My mouth broke and I took in a deep breath, shooting my eyes open.

"Skei--"

I stopped. My mouth didn't move from it's gaping position. My eyes only moved the scan the area. My hands were caught in mid-air from their waving during my speech.

"Ske...ith?"

I was alone.

No silver-haired monster in sight. No... anyone in sight.

"Skeith...?!"

I had said all those things... but was that what I had truly wanted? Did I really want him to 'disappear'?

No... disappear now meant 'death' to me. The very thing I drastically tried to prevent every time... I wished once more, and now...

Now...!

I took a running step forwards, twisting and turning on my feet. My head shot back and forth, hair catching in the wind each time. Left and right, ahead and behind... but there was nothing.

"I-I'm right here, Skeith!! Where are—?!"

Nothing. Nowhere.

Nothing but the silent rain of the water from the fountain, mocking me. The silent setting of the sun, casting darkness on the rest of this world. The hum of the far-away city, and the rustling of leaves in the wind. No trace of the Terror... only a trace of myself.

"_**SKEITH!!!**_"


	7. Chap6: Rising Moon

Authors Notes: _Starting a new job, having fun with my love and visiting some friends who just got their own apartment has really taken time from me. But now this is here and done – sorry for the wait. I'm a procrastinator in the strongest sense, but I'm not really feeling like leaving this chapter just as is so expect chapter seven to come up sooner than this one did. Sorry for the cliff hanger, ahaha._

_But yes, I've started a new job – engraving and wedding gifts and super cute stuff like that. So I'm still sort of in that stage where you have to be absolutely perfect to not get yourself fired on the spot. That and I've been spending a lot of time with my love; you don't think promise rings after 7 months is too soon, do you? I want to go pick some up for us. I also gotta take us out for supper to celebrate my love's first job... Sorry, I'm going on about real life. Obviously you guys are here to read about your fandom, not about my life._

_I can't wait to get this arc over and done with so that I can get into the really emotional stuff. Oh, and there were two people who were looking for two certain characters; both of their appearances will be soon. But I won't say who's showing up. Not next chapter, but both will probably be for eight._

_Thanks for sticking with me; I love you guys!_

* * *

"I'm home." 

For the first time in a few days, I was greeted by my mother and father. A worried sick mother and father nonetheless. I was questioned about the mess in the bathroom and kitchen, including the 'couch fort' that they had taken down. I was asked about the phone call from school saying that I had skipped the last periods. I was pelted with inquiry, but somehow I couldn't draw an emotion. I felt blank, lost in thoughts that I couldn't sort out.

What had just happened...?

I was fed a warm supper and checked for fever and weakness by my parents, but nothing showed up. I seemed perfectly healthy, just rather disheartened. When my mother asked about my mood I could only open my mouth and cast my eyes to the ground as I was filled with confusion. Emotions were mixed with my logical thoughts and nothing made sense anymore. I just shook my head and told her it was personal. But the comfort they gave me... the warmth they expressed... it was the same kind of thing I had leeched from Silabus in the hospital. What I had tried to get from Kuhn... and what I was searching for.

I ate at the table like normal. It felt like my schedule had suddenly run back into the course it was supposed to be on, even for just that moment. My appetite wasn't much, though, and I ended up turning to my room early, excusing myself. I walked up the stairs, closed my door behind me, fell back-first onto my bed, and turned my head to the side, looking out the window.

The horizon had just begun to grow dark; that stage where the sun was set but it's rays were still barely touching the sky. I looked hollowly out, unmoving, with my arms spread out above my head against the soft sheets. The wind from the open pane rustled at my hair; my parents must have opened it.

I had known him... for not even a day. No, in a few hours, it would be exactly twenty-four hours. Already, he was gone, wasn't he? That conflicting side of my heart didn't want to believe it. It was the same half of me that made me feel that maybe he wasn't so bad, just confused; that he could change.

No... the truth was, I knew he _wasn't_ gone. That was actually it, wasn't it?

I literally felt like I knew that he was still around. My heart felt attached to him somehow; I honestly couldn't believe anything other than the fact that he was still here, somewhere. It was a possibility that maybe he had sympathized with me and disappeared as my eyes closed just to try and calm me. That state I was in at that time... yes, I was in a state where I needed him gone.

But not... forever.

I had to fix things.

We both messed up. He murdered without care and I accused without thought. Both of us needed to adjust ourselves... but that meant me, too. Had I thrown everything onto him?

I had, hadn't I?

Skeith...

Instead of blaming you...

* * *

It wasn't long before I found myself out the door again. My parents gave worried comments, but I shrugged them off. For once my heart wasn't filled with the darkness of worry... the distress of murder. No, now I held determination; I needed to find him. Search everywhere, up and down, and fix things. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me and I turned down every road and alley way I came to. My head shot back and forth and I only took small pauses to catch my breath. My third pause ended up being by a phone booth. I leaned against the glass pane and then my eyes caught sight of the black phone. Thoughts tumbled in my mind. 

... yes. I can't hold things to myself forever.

I ran into the booth, pulling the small bits of change that I had out of my pocket. I had three quarters; more than enough. I slammed the first one in, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number that was etched in my memory with unrivaled speed. It rung a few times before someone picked up.

"Morino residence," the voice responded on the other end of the line.

"Silabus, are you busy?"

"H-Haseo? Is that you?" He sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Look, I need some help. I'm looking for someth-- ... I'm looking for someone."

"Huh? Who?"

"Someone you don't know. But I really need help, so..."

"If I don't know them..."

"They look weird, so you'd recognize them if you saw them!" Desperation leaked into my voice.

"... weird, huh?"

"Please, Silabus!"

"..."

There was a pause, followed by a small laugh.

"Of course I'll help. What are friends for?"

I let out the breath I had held in my chest and quickly began describing Skeith to Silabus, though I never gave a name. He was distracted so I was sure he was writing down the details I gave him. By the end of the conversation he said he'd leave in a couple minutes and search the blocks around him with Gaspard's help. I thanked him and hung up.

Now...

I slammed another quarter in and dialed another number with even more speed and precision than the last. I held the phone to my ear and it rung and rung, but it seemed useless as no one picked up. I hung up and the quarter was spat back out at me, but I certainly didn't let that stop me. I quickly pushed it back in again and dialed a second number; the cell phone number to the house number I had first called. I felt a little worried and my stomach tied in knots – unnatural for me, I know – but there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"You're... there."

Suddenly I lost the strength in my voice at the sound of his own in my ears and I didn't know how to react. But I tried to cover up the events of the past; we had to make up somehow, right?

"Oh! Haseo! I'd recognize your voice anywhere, aha!"

"... I need your help."

"Why are you so quiet?"

"Well... the call earlier... that stupid game you played with me..."

"Huh? We never talked earlier..."

"We did so, Kuhn! Don't lie to me!"

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Haseo, I don't really understand..."

"Look, forget it. I need your help."

"With what?"

"I've lost... someone. And I need to find them again."

"'Someone'?"

"The thing I wanted to talk to you about earlier..."

I paused this time. He was the first to talk, before I could continue.

"Listen, about earlier... I think... I might know what you're talking about. Will you meet with me?"

"After I find what I'm looking for."

"Mm, it's a deal."

I described Skeith, and Kuhn was oddly quiet through the whole thing.

"So... will you help?"

"Haha, of course! Look, Haseo..."

"What?"

".. it's nothing. Don't worry... you've got _both_ of us looking."

_Click_.

"Wha--?"

What did he mean by 'both of us'?

... But it didn't matter.

I needed to set things straight. With Silabus, with Kuhn, with mom and dad. But first, and most importantly, with...

* * *

Now, the force that I had created searched throughout the entire town. The group of five people; myself, Silabus and Gaspard, and Kuhn and... someone, all explored their own areas, looking for the missing Skeith. After the screams and shouts about being a murderer that I had expressed to the silver-haired being, I was sure that it was safe to send my friends looking as well. The faster I found him the better, right? I was the only one alone, but I went onwards with all my strength. I ran down the alley we had met; the police were thinned out now so it was a lot easier. I ran to the main street in our small area of town; I ran to the park; to five different neighborhoods... everywhere. I asked people along the street if they saw the freak, but none had. They shook their heads and each time they did that I felt like his existence was slipping away... like I had been living in a dream the whole time. 

But no... he was real, I was sure of it. Just lost... lost and treading down a wrong path. The path of murder...

But when I met him... could I take him off it? Could I honestly change his nature?

I kept on going, only stopping to talk to the people I came across.

Suddenly, I struck a clue.

I spoke with two teenage boys and asked if they'd seen anyone weird. They both laughed.

"Two people, in fact!"

"What did they look like?!" I almost shouted, grasping for something – anything.

"Well, one was a strange guy... looked like an adult. He had green hair and the strangest outfit... looked like some costume from some time in the past."

That wasn't him... but...

"And the second was a _guy with silver hair_..."

"Where did they go?!"

"Well, the silver haired one was first; he headed down that way," they pointed down the road, "and the green haired guy was following him."

"Alright!"

I was in such a rush that I didn't even say thank you or ask anything else. It had to be him; who else would have silver hair?! But picking up another strange person... I knew then and there that something was about to happen and I had to get there first. The direction was actually the direction of my school. Was it possible that Skeith had figured out that was where I attended?

This moment, as I ran, I felt the wind change. It was weak, but suddenly it picked up and struck me from the side, tangling my hair. That moment, I felt something inside of me warn me that I was to be tested. That soon after would be the determining factor of Skeith's future existence, if he had one at all.

At that moment, I didn't know why I felt that way.

* * *

I approached the school. 

There was no sign of anyone around; I assumed that Kuhn and Silabus had yet to make it this far. That wind that had developed from before still toyed with my hair and my school tie. The sun was set; it was early night. A strange feeling mingled in my heart, but I ignored it. I had to ignore it. Skeith was here, and I knew it... I could sense him.

Within the darkness things had grown very quiet. I took a few steps forwards, stepping by the gate and entering the school grounds. It was eerie entering my schoolyard after hours; there were no teachers or students to brighten the place up. It was only now I realized how much I missed the real version of school, especially compared to this creepy one. The building was accented in darkness and the only lights that were around were a couple of street lights placed around the school's grounds. I made it to the doors and placed my hand on the cool metal of the handle-shaped doorknob. Peeking through the window I could only see black. A never ending darkness, a relentless darkness...

There was a loud crash that came from the other side of the school; outside.

I jumped away from the handle, startled. It felt like my hair stood on end and my hands were clenched tightly, raised in the air. Everything was breaking my nerves down. Taking in a deep breath I tried to ignore it and brought a hand back to the handle.

The voice of a ten-year-old came behind me.

"Is this your school?"

I whirled around quickly, my face contorting with shock. I had one hand balled in a fist and raised above my hand, ready to bring it down on my intruder, but I stopped as I saw his figure. He really _was_ a ten-year-old! The little boy had dark brown, boyishly cut hair. His eyes were smaller than the average child's; they held a sort of twisted sense of nobility, power and intelligence. Actually, it really made him look downright evil. I glared down at him. He was dressed in simple shorts and t-shirt, making him at least look normal in that sense. But honestly, what was normal about a little ten-year-old boy wandering around at this time of night, coming up behind you and scaring you shitless?

There was more crashing, clanking, thumping... noises from behind the school.

"It is. What are you doing here, little boy?" I replied, stressing the last part. Little boys his age should have probably been home with their parents.

"I'm Tooru, who're you?" he demanded, stepping past me. The little boy came to be about half my height. I glared down. He wasn't getting the hint.

"You're a bit young to be out here at this time," I hissed, not wanting him to be involved in Skeith.

"I asked you for your name, isn't it only polite to answer?" He raised his hands in a shrugging manner. This kid sure acted a lot older than he actually was...

"... Haseo." I replied coldly.

"Hmm, I see." He thought for a moment and paused. "But you do look very similar to him, so you're definitely his original..."

"What are you talking about?" Anger was bubbling up.

"**Skeith**." He turned around to look at me, his eyes piercing down into my soul. "You're Skeith's other half, right? His original, right?"

I was struck. I just stared, dumbfounded, unable to produce a proper answer.

"H... how... how did you...!"

"It's okay, don't worry," he smiled childishly as if to calm me down, but it wasn't working very well. "You won't have to worry about Skeith anymore. I know what he's been doing, so be at rest; we'll remove his existence for you."

"W... what...?!"

That's not what I wanted!!

The boy turned around and opened the door, disappearing inside. It was obvious he wanted me to follow, so I did.

* * *

"Skeith murdered two people last night. On top of that, he was the reasoning behind the death of a police officer earlier today." The boy spoke with a heavy knowledge of everything. "When _we_ realized it, I knew that this was right around our type of work." 

I had followed him into the dark school. We wandered without any light, slowly going up the stairs; aiming for the roof, probably. There was absolute, pure, terrifying silence in the building as I listened to his explaination.

"Your type of work...?" I asked quietly, taking it one step at a time. Asking too many questions would get confusing.

"Other half's... Avatars, as I've learned that they have been called... they are a dangerous thing, existing in this world. They come and reign terror, claiming it was right for their other half to be alright. They have an obsession with their original. And unfortunately, when an Avatar steps out of line, there's no saving them."

_You're wrong_.

_I'm sure Skeith... can change_...

"So you go and off all these Avatars to make the world... peaceful?"

"I see you do have a mind of your own! That's right," he spoke as he continued to walk ahead of me, not turning around for a second.

"But what did you mean by 'we'?"

"I meant me and _my_ Avatar."

I stopped walking. This boy had one too? Something like... Skeith?

I remembered Endrance's words, too. He had said that he had 'another half' as well. Plus, there was that Bordeaux woman, who seemed to be the same as Skeith... was she an Avatar – someone else's other half? Things began to piece together a little better.

There was a shuffle behind us, laced in the darkness. Something had appeared in the dark corners of the stairway beyond our reach of sight.

"You called, Tooru?"

Tooru stopped, turned around, looked at me and smiled. "This... is Sakaki."

A man stepped out of the shadows. He was two-and-a-half of the kid's height; taller than me. They shared the same face and he definitely had what would seem to be an adult body that reflected what Tooru would look like when he was older. Those were the similarities, but just like Skeith while being similar he was different, too. He was dressed in strange clothing that almost reflected a medival Japan. His hair was long and green, reaching down his back. But he stood with that same respectable air that Tooru had; it just matched Sakaki much more, as Sakaki was older.

"This would be the Phase's other half, I presume?" Sakaki spoke, his voice almost purring. Tooru flinched.

"... y-yes, this is Skeith's other half."

What was I missing...?

'Phase'?

Sakaki bent to bow towards me. "I'm terribly sorry, but tonight is the night that we remove your other half. But do not be afraid; it won't affect you in the slightest."

I jolted.

"That's not what I want!" It was an outburst, but I felt it was finally needed. I glared towards the Avatar, bringing my fist down tightly.

"There's not much choice. It's not like he's special compared to the other ones. We removed five other murderers today, all connected to Avatars. But you're fine; we won't need to remove you." His voice was so sure as if there wasn't a spec of doubt in his heart. I just glared.

But... did I want Skeith gone, too?

My heart was definitely in conflict.

"I..."

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Sakaki spoke, cutting me off, "I have a Phase to tend to." It was a sudden exit, but he bowed towards Tooru with a calm, confident smile. "I shall return. The best place to watch the battle I would presume would be the top of this building and the bottom, in front of the wall of windows." He then glanced towards me, frowning – but that frown was laced with fake emotions. "I am terribly sorry for all of this trouble. Truthfully, we should have removed Skeith the moment he was born."

That's... too cruel!

But my mouth wouldn't open. A part of me did want him gone, as he _was_ a murderer.

Before I could react, Sakaki was gone. He disappeared in a mist of sparkling lights similar to the ones that Skeith and Bordeaux had danced through the air with during their fight. I was lost in my own mind, not really reacting to much. I was sure I heard Tooru say that he was going to the rooftop to 'oversee the events' – which, to me, seemed highly suspicious of a little boy to say – and then I was left alone before I knew it. Alone with my own thoughts and actions, alone without a proper decision made.

The darkness in the school settled into me. There was no one around now; I was left in front of a pair of windows within the stairwell that overlooked the back of the school yard. I hadn't moved from the original spot that I had been standing in before. No, I was left with my eyes diverted to the ground and my mouth slightly open, with both my fists balled up and with inner turmoil.

What... could I do?

Skeith...

... should you really... just disappear?

* * *

I made it to the bottom floor of the school. Along one wall were all windows, aligned with each other for a perfect view of the school's basketball court, running track, and soccer field. I stood, unemotionally watching out, trying to spot the specs that should have been there. And soon my eyes caught on them; two figures standing near the center. My breath stopped in my throat and in an impulse I ran out of the school through the doors that were right beside the extending windows and brought myself to the edge of the court, mouth open and moving while nothing came out. 

There he was.

Silver hair, black clothing, tattoos of a bright red... a scythe, wielded skillfully, held behind him in one hand.

Skeith.

I couldn't respond. In front of him, Sakaki stood.

Before I could say anything, Skeith spoke.

"Chickening out, huh? I thought you were going to stick through this until the end. Where did you go?" He mocked and sneered, balancing himself against the scythe while the blade rested on the ground.

"I had to meet with your and my masters," Sakaki responded, smirking towards the silver haired monster. Skeith's eyes widened, but at the same time his eyebrows narrowed and he glared a death glare at the mention of Sakaki and I meeting. Sakaki laughed, bringing back his cool, righteous attitude. "What, what, do you not trust me? Of course, your other half is in perfect condition. We were just discussing matters of your death."

I could tell that underneath all the anger and sneers, Skeith seemed hurt. The way he stood seemed to change just the slightest as Sakaki said that, but afterwards he just shook his head and intensified his glare.

"If you don't believe me, look over there; he's come to be a spectator at your execution, murderer."

Skeith glanced over. Suddenly, I felt like turning around and running and hiding my face; was I a traitor to him by doing this? That sad expression he had shown to me before he had 'disappeared' the first time seemed to peek through, but he tried to not mind it and turned back to his opponent.

"... Haseo can do as he pleases. I'll protect him to the end, no matter what he thinks of me."

What was that–? A guilt trip–?

"Then that shall be your downfall."

Skeith forced another sly smirk on his face, now paying no attention to me. I had simply fallen to what Sakaki had labeled me – a 'spectator'. Nothing more than a watcher.

"And what about you? How many people have you killed just in the past day alone? Maybe you should commit suicide after this battle if you end up surviving." He grinned and Sakaki glared, realizing the truth of Skeith's words.

"I murder for a different reason. I _protect_ this world-"

"And I protect Haseo."

"But my thoughts are for everyone, not just one little person. I am not selfish."

"Enough!" Skeith whipped the scythe back out, pointing it towards the enemy before him. "All this talk is wasting my time. Let's just get on with it, alright?"

"Your demise?" Sakaki called out back, withdrawing a thin sword from somewhere underneath his cloak. There was a glow from where he pulled it out; it was obvious that his weapon was the same as Skeith's in the sense that it could be summoned.

"Yours first," the 'Phase' cooed sarcastically. Both boys bickered like children, but their verbal game was over. Now both held weapons out to each other and both poised for an attack. I could imagine Tooru sitting up on the top of the building, watching with strained eyes since the two were so far from him right now.

I took a single step forwards, and then finally forced something out.

"Sk-Skeith!!"

Skeith acknowledged me. He smiled just slightly, keeping his piercing glare on Sakaki, and he responded only loud enough for me to hear.

"I promise, no matter what, I'll protect you, because we're one and the same, right? Despite what you believe in... this is my way of repaying you for my existence. This is the _reason_ for my existence."

I was silenced.

"I thought you said that we were done talking?!" Sakaki called out to him, and he made the first move of the battle – the battle that determined Skeith's life from then on.

Sakaki pushed off with his feet and made a running start towards Skeith, sword pointed outwards. His speed was tremendous; I had nearly forgotten how Skeith and Bordeaux had fought hours ago until I saw these two launch themselves at each other in an in-human expression of power. Skeith darted forwards as well, raising his scythe high behind him. It was a risky move as Sakaki's weapon was in front of him and logic would say that it would strike first, but the length of the scythe also had it's positives. Skeith swung and struck the blade of his opponent's weapon, knocking it off balance and sending Sakaki's arms off to the side. But that didn't stop the green-haired nobleman; he continued on forwards, striking the shaft of the scythe with his body and driving the pole and his own body into Skeith's chest. Both of them flung to the left; backwards from Skeith's direction. Skeith sensed this and as they went the few meters that he was forced into he then dug his feet into the ground and flipped, folding backwards and sending Sakaki beyond him.

Of course, Sakaki was more skilled than that – he whirrled in the air and landed on his feet, back facing the silver terror before he whipped around, sword poised once more. He had practiced these skills many times before and it was quite obvious he knew what he was doing. He knew how to take down other Avatars.

"Best attempt I've had ever," he laughed with joy, and Skeith just turned and sneered in return. "So then it's true. You're a _Phase_, aren't you?"

"Believe what you will," Skeith responded cockily, throwing his head to the side.

"But then even if you're not a murderer of humans..." The sword was tapped playfully on the ground before returning to it's deadly, battle-ready state. "You'd have to be removed anyway. But I wonder what nu-"

"Shut up!!" Skeith screamed out, being the first to attack this time. He sped forwards matching Sakaki's original speed, but Sakaki darted to the side. Skeith skidded a bit after realizing this and had to adjust his course, but he didn't let that stop him. He changed directions and ran straight for his target and they both collided – metal with metal – in a loud, clashing sound. Soon Skeith was swinging and Sakaki was blocking almost in an endless loop, but Sakaki made no move to attack. He constantly defended against my other half's rage of swings, until Skeith pulled away and made for another running move. He dashed to the side and made a turn back, as if to gain some speed and strength with his attack. Sakaki predicted this and pushed off the ground, ascending into the sky. He seemed to put his sword to the side... but why? Without any method of attack...

"Without your other half's support even a Phase is _useless_!!" Sakaki screamed down to Skeith, who was now glancing up just slightly – he hadn't been reading Sakaki well enough. The enemy extended a hand forwards trailed with dancing white lights and sparkles like the ones that followed after Avatar's feet as they floated in the air. He made a fist and quickly thrust his hand to one side, preparing for something. Skeith realized this and started to make an escape out of his range. But too quickly Sakaki pulled his hand the other way, harshly cutting through the air, and immediately after white beams of light blasted from the arc that his arm created. They shot down and struck the ground all in front of Skeith's feet, with two hitting him in useless places; one in the shoulder and one in the foot. He cringed at the pain, but it wasn't enough to take him down.

"W-what?!" I called out without thinking. How come Sakaki had powers like that-?! Skeith had... nothing!

Skeith didn't wait a single moment. He launched himself into the air as well and swung the scythe in a perfect semi-circle, colliding with Sakaki's drawn blade that was held out of the way. The shock caused him to release the weapon – it was a tactic that Skeith had used against Bordeaux as well.

But with Bordeaux it had been more successful.

Sakaki let Skeith reap this victory, but he instantly brought back his other arm and landed a solid punch into Skeith's already wounded arm – the one that had not only been struck by the beam, but the one which had taken the hit in the previous hour's battle. Skeith lost the grip of one hand to his scythe, and that hand desperately began grabbing at empty air for it while trying to keep focus on the opponent at hand. But unfortunately he hadn't skillfully multi-tasked and Sakaki used that moment to push himself higher into the air that they now fought in. He brought his feet up to neck-level and drove them down hard into Skeith's other shoulder. Skeith acually let out a startled grunt and his second hand let go, letting the scythe uselessly fall down onto the ground. It was a battle without weapons; both had been disarmed, left only with their bodies.

Skeith could only take seconds to realize his situation. He didn't even think, I assumed; he just pushed forwards into the air, launching his entire self into Sakaki's stomach. Sakaki took this as next to nothing; he also plowed almost blindly forwards, kicking one foot sharply into the side of his target. Skeith heaved in the air and struggled. It was obvious he had entered a state of rage. His right hand reached upwards and claws drove and dragged down Sakaki's cheek. Blood finally appeared, forming droplets in the air and running down Skeith's arm from his fingers. Sakaki let out a maddened scream as his eyebrows furrowed as much as they could, giving him a psychotic look. He brought his own hands up and quickly met them with the grooves in Skeith's neck – or, at least, made grooves himself. Skeith gasped out but it was far too late.

Sakaki used his body and both fell down to the ground, and as they struck an explosion of sparkles and white light, mingled with the few drops of _red_, jolted out from underneath them like a miniature wave. Sakaki's elbows pinned Skeith's arms down and Skeith squirmed underneath the weight of the opposing Avatar, but he had no strength – no breath. Sakaki's hands were tightly gripping Skeith's neck, driving it further and further down into the ground, aiming to crush.

To crush... to destroy...

To kill-!!

I took only one step forwards, but I couldn't take anymore. That inner turmoil from before caught me.

Now... was it.

Skeith was going to die if I didn't do anything.

I had to decide...

He pathetically writhed underneath the pain and the weight and the lack of air, but he was still trying... trying so hard. Sakaki just grinned sadistically down, relentlessly pressing forwards.

"Without your other half's power... without your other half's support... even I, a mere Avatar, can destroy a Phase of Morganna...!"

_"__unless you've got a Fragment of Morgana to pull out of your ass__..."_

_Morganna_...

"You're nothing!! You're just a simple minded murderer, destined to be removed!!"

No...

Skeith tried to say something, but his mouth moved uselessly – nothing came out. He was gasping and his flailing was failing. His eyes were twisting and twitching, holding back what were probably tears before his taste of defeat.

No...!

But then no one else would die because of me...

But he would die, because of me...!

I want Skeith to-

To--!!


End file.
